


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 


















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■ c,C^° OL AND FA Mlly 

HISTORY OF 

Places &<01*Jeels 

-of- 


GREAT HISTORICAL INTEREST THROUGHOUT 
THE WORLD 


PREPARED BY 

A. H. McCLINTOCK, 

To Accompany McClintock & Barker’s 
PATENT STEREOSCOPIC OBJECT TEACHER. 
Patented Dec. 1st. 1874. 

-o- 


FORT SCOTT, KANSAS, 

Pioneer Publishing House. 
1875. 


1 


1 























* 



SCHOOL AND FAMILY 



—OF— 


GREAT HISTORICAL INTEREST THROUGHOUT 
THE WORLD. 


THE GRANDEST OBJECTS 

IN NATURE AND ART ACCURATELY DESCRIBED AND 
EXPLAINED, CALCULATED TO GIVE TO THE 
PUPIL A CORRECT KNOWLEDGE OF THE 
PLACES AND OBJECTS DESCRIBED. 


PREPARED BT 


7 

A. H. McCLINTOCK 


To accompany McClintock & Barker’s Patent Stereoscopic 
Object Teacher, Patented December 1, 1874, and to aid the 
^outh in Schools, and in Families, in the Study of 
Geography and History, by means of Stereo- 


yS 


scopic Views. 



FORT SCOTT, KANSAS: 
BARTER <fr SARGENT, PRINTERS, 
1875 . 









.(A VS 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1875. by 
McCLINTOCK & BARKER, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 


7 




* 74 * 


m , 






PREFACE. 


It needs but few words to introduce this work. It has mostly 
been compiled from the most reliable books, with great care, so as 
to give an accurate knowledge of places. The writer has aimed to 
be simple, that youths of lower, as well as advanced classes, may 
understand its full meaning; clear, that no indistinct or erroneous 
impression may be conveyed; accurate in the recital of all the 
facts. It is hoped that the plan of the work will be approved by 
all interested in educational matters. While the account of par¬ 
ticular places and scenes are kept distinct, the order of events 
throughout the whole is as far as can be preserved. 

The object of this work is to give a clear and accurate knowledge 
of places and objects throughout the world, which is done by 
means of the stereoscope accompanying this descriptive work. 
The pupil is permitted to see a view of the natural object by the 
use of the stereoscope. Few can command the time axd the 
means to visit, the objects of grandeur which are all over the 
world. Is it not, then, a great satisfaction to gaze at leisure upon 
the finest productions of art and the grandest scenery in nature ? 
The art of photography and the invention of the stereoscope, are 
wonders in themselves, and they can bring to us all the wonderful 
scenery of the world. It is believed that this volume, with the 
accompanying stereoscopic work, will turn the attention of the 
young to interesting facts, and thus enable them to acquire useful 
knowledge. An indiscriminate use of the stereoscope should not 



IV. 


PREFACE. 


be allowed in the school room, but the attention of the pupils 
should be confined to the views connected with the lesson. Let 
the teacher read from this work the interesting facts concerning 
the lesson of the day; for example, Niagara Falls, New York 
City, or any particular place or object, and w r hen his class has got 
possession of the facts read, then let them take a look into the 
stereoscope and see the wonderful works of art and nature in nat¬ 
ural and life-like forms. The stereoscope wonderfully multiplies 
the applications of photography. It affords an infinite variety of 
objects from nature and art, from the statuaries of the world to the 
choicest parts of the Mammoth Cave, in almost natural form, for 
the school room or for the family circle entertainment It exhibits 
views, geological, zoological, botanical and mineralogical speci¬ 
mens, and, by further application of the stereoscopic principles, 
photosculpture, photography furnishes the necessary details 
for a perfect statue. A. H. M. 

Fort Scott , Kansas, June 8, 1875, 

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VI. 


CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS. 


CHAPTER I— Maryland and District of Columbia. 

Washington City Scenery. 1 

CHAPTER II.—U. S. National Cemeteries . 11 

CHAPTER III.— State of Virginia. Richmond. Natural 

Bridge. Natural Tunnel. Weyer’s Cave. 15 

CHAPTER IV.—Some of the principal mountains of the 

world, &c. 25 

CHAPTER V.— Niagara Falls. Niagara River. Iris or 
Goat Island. Three Sister Islands. Cave of the 
Winds. Whirlpool Rapids. Suspension 
Bridge. Queenstown. 30 


CHAPTER VI.— New York. Harbor at New York. Cen¬ 
tral Park. Brooklyn. Prospect Park. Lake 
George. Saratoga Springs. West Point Cat- 
skill Mountains. Buffalo. Cayuga Lake. Fall 
Creek. Carcadilla Creek. Enfield Falls. 
Seneca Lake. Watkin’s Glen. Great Adiron- 
dac Wilderness. Seranic Lakes. Au Sable 

Chasm. 37 

CHAPTER VII— Massachusetts. Boston. Bunker Hill 
Monument. Nahant. Harvard College. Low¬ 
ell City. 51 

CHAPTER VIII.— Pennsylvania. Philadelphia. Fair- 

mount Park... 55 

CHAPTER IX.—Ohio. Cincinnati. Cincinnati Observatory. 

Cincinnati Fountain. 61 

CHAPTER X.— Kentucky Scenery. Mammoth Cave. Echo 

River, &c. 64 

CHAPTER XI.— Georgia and Florida Scenery. Savan¬ 
nah river. Augusta. Tallulah Falls. Florida 

Swamps. St. Augustine. 71 

CHAPTER XII.— Illinois Scenery. Chicago. Springfield... 76 | 
CHAPTER XIII.— Missouri Scenery. St. Louis. Botani¬ 
cal Gardens. St. Louis Bridge... .. 79 I 

CHAPTER XIV,— Kansas. Topeka. Fort Scott. 82 ! 

CHAPTER XV.— Utah. Mormonism and Salt Lake. 86 | 

CHAPTER XVI.— Montana National Park . 120 i 

CHAPTER XVII.— California. San Joaquin Valley. San- 
Francisco, Golden Gate Harbor. Farallone 
Islands. Yosemite Valley. Calaveras Grove. 

Mariposa Grove. 122 

CHAPTER XVIII.— England. City of London. Tower of 
I London. Crystal Palace. Houses of Parlia¬ 

ment. i Windsor Castle. Buckingham Palace 130 
CHAPTER XIX.— Scotland. —Abbotsford. Ben or Mount 
Nevis. Drummond Castle. Sterling Castle. 
Balmoral Castle. Melrose Abbey. Glasgow. 
Edinburgh. 133 


































VII. 


CHAPRER XX.— Ireland. Kilkenny Castle. Giants’s 

Causeway..*. 13G ! 

CHAPTER XXL— Turkey, Greece and China . 138 

CHAPTER XXII.— Genmany. Mont Blank. Glacier of 
Grin den wald. City of St. Gall. Gorge of the 
PfafFers. Viamala Gorge. River Rhine 

Scenery, &c. 143 

CHAPTER XXIII. —Italian Scenery. Mount Vesuvius. 

Pompeii. Venice. St Peter’s Church, Rome. 

Coleseum, Rome. Naples. 147 

CHAPTER XXIV.— Syria and Palestine. Jerusalem. 

Mount of Olives. Garden of Gethsemane. 
Bethlehem. Damascus. Nazareth. Mount 

Carmel. Ezion Geber. Hebron, &c. 152 

CHAPTER XXV.— Egypt. Great Pyramids. The Sphinx. 

Pompey’s Pillar. Cleopatra’s Needles. Cairo. 

Temple of Luxsar, &c. 164 

CHAPTER XXVI.— France. Paris. The Grand Chartreuse. 

Paris Geological Gardens. 170 

CHAPTER XXVII. —South America. Plateau of Guiana. 

Andes. Lake Titicaca, Amazon River. The 
Magdalena. The Orinoco. The Casiquiare. 

The Meta and Apure The Selvas, or Forests 
of the Amazon. Animals. &c. 176 


CHAPTER XXVIII.— Africa. Great Sahara Desert. Ani¬ 

mals. Tsetse ,Fly. Ethiopian Race. Caucas¬ 
ian Race. Arabs, &c. Madagascar Island. 
Cape Verde Islands. Madeira Island. Canary 
Islands. St. Helena Island. Traveling through 
the desert of Africa. 182 
































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CHAPTER I. 




MARYLAND AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

Maryland is one of the original States of the 
American Union. It is situated between latitude 
I 37° 48' and 39° 44 A north, and longitude 75° 04' and 
I 79° 33 / west,having an extreme length of 196 miles, 

I and a breadth varying from 10 to 120 miles, and 
I has an area (not including Chesapeake Bay) ofll,- 
! 124 square miles, or 7,119,360 acres, and has a 
| population, at the present time, of about 780,894. 

Most of the valleys of this State are extremely 
| fertile. The climate in the valleys is temperate, 

! and in most all parts of the State very salubrious, 
although the lowlands bordering on the Bay are 
subject to miasma which produce fevers and 
I chills to a certain extent some seasons of the year. 
The principal forest trees are oak, hickory, chest¬ 
nut, pine, locust, •walnut, cedar, gum and beach. 

The Atlantic coast has no harbors, but has a 
sandy beach from a few yards to a quarter of a 
mile in breadth. The surface of the eastern shore 
of the State, which lies between Chesapeake and 










! 2 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

; ___ j 

| Delaware Bays, is quite low and level, excepting* j 
i in the north where it is somewhat broken and j 
I rock. 

The northwestern portion of Maryland is rug- j 
ered and mountainous. The Blue Ridge and other ! 
ranges of the Alleghanies cross this State from j 
Virginia, and extend into Pensylvania. IN one 
of these mountains attain a very high elevation. 

This State is one of the most remarkable in the 
United States in regard to its mineral and geolog¬ 
ical formations. 

Near Baltimore are lulls of meteoric rocks, 
slate and limestone; these extend northest and 
j southwest across, the State, among which are the 
! serpentine rocks or barren hills called “Bare 
| Hills.” On them Patapsco iron ore is found, and 
| worked in connection with copper ore. Mary- I 
land contains an immense amount of different ! 

| mineral substances, but we will pass from this j 
j to the District of Columbia, the seat of the United j 
! States government. 

District of Columbia was created by Con- 
! gress, July 16th, 1791; corner stone of the capi- j 
j tol was laid by George Washington September | 
18th, 1793; United States Government was re- j 
moved from Philadelphia to Washington June, I 
1800. 

Congress first convened in the new Capitol the I 
third Monday in November, 1800. 

The District was neither a State nor a Territo- 
| ry until February 21st, 1871; up to this date be- 















MARYLAND AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 3 

, ing directly governed by Congress of the United 
States; the inhabitants not having any represen¬ 
tatives and no voice in the federal election. By 
an act of Congress at the given date, a territorial 
government was provided which consisted of a 
governor and council of eleven members, to be ap- 
. pointed by the President for a term of four years, 
and also twenty-two members of delegates, elect- 
! ed by the people. The same act repealed the 
charters of the cities of Washington and George- 
j town after June 1st, 1871. 

The District originally included about one hun- 
i dred square miles. The city of Alexandria was, 
in'1846, retroceded to the State which it had been 
| taken from. Maryland bounds the District of 
| Columbia on all sides except the southwest where ! 
I it is separated from Virginia by the Potomac 
) river. 

Washington City, the capitol of the United j 
I States, is situated in the District of Columbia on 
! the banks of the Potomac river. It is one hull- j 
| dred and thirty-six miles from Philadelphia, two j 
j hundred and twenty-six from A ew York and I 
| forty from Baltimore. 

The site was chosen by George Washington | 
j himself. 

Dome of the Capitol —The scene from the j 
high portion of the dome of the Capitol, or the 
terrace upon which this magnificent edifice is 
built, is one of great beauty, and it gives the vis¬ 
itor a clear idea of the natural advantages of the 













4 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


region. By looking eastward over a plain of a 
mile or more, the eye beholds the beautiful waters 
of the Potomac, leading by the groves of Mount 
Vernon and the city of Alexandria to the sea,— 
Looking westward it overlooks the city as it now 
exists, showing the public buildings, Navy, War, 
and Treasury Departments and the President’s 
house. On the other rising grounds the other 
public buildings are seen with all their beauty 
| and grandeur. By looking to the left can be 
seen the new National Park, in which are the 
towers of the Smithsonian Institute and the lofty 
shaft of the Washington Monument ; across Rock 
Creek in the distance are to be seen the walls and 
roofs of Georgetown. 

The Capitol, in its grandeur, and in its mag¬ 
nificence of domes and marble, and upon its lofty 
height will have attracted the visitors wonder 
miles in the distance, whatever way lie may have 
approached. The corner stone of this building 
was laid by Washington himself, September 18th, 
1793. In 1814 the British burned it with the li¬ 
brary of Congress, the President’s house and 
some other public buildings. In 1818 it was re¬ 
paired, and in 1851, on the 4th day of July, Pres¬ 
ident Fillmore laid the corner stone of the new 
wings, and on that occasion the lion. Daniel 
Webster delivered an elegant address. It is sev¬ 
en hundred and fifty-one feet in length, and covers 
four and one-third acres. The surrounding 
grounds which are beautifully cultivated and 














MARYLAND AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. . 5 


I made elegant by fountains and statuary, embraces * 
thirty acres. ‘ The Hall of Representatives and 
| Senate Chamber are in the wings of the Capitol, 
on either side of the center building. 

The Rotunda.— The next beautiful feature of 
the Capitol is the Rotunda; it is ninety-six feet in 
diameter, and two hundred and twenty in height, 
it is divided on the first floor into eight pannels; 
in these are various paintings representing the 
Delaration of Independence, and Landing of Col¬ 
umbus, by Vanderlyn; the Pilgrim's Embarea- 
tion for America, by Wier, etc.; in basso relievo 
between the pannels are four historical subjects 
representing the Conflict between Daniel Boone 
and the Indians, Penn’s Treaty with the Indians, j 
Landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock, and | 
the Preservation of Captain John Smith bv Po¬ 
cahontas. There are also specimens of sculpture 
of the heads of some of the great men of America; 
also on the out side of the east door are statues of 
Columbus, the Indian Woman, and two represent¬ 
ing Peace and War, by Persico. Greenough’s 
| large statue of Washington is in the Park; in his 
left hand holding a Roman sword, and his right 
pointing toward heaven. 

The A ew Dome is two hundred and twenty 
feet from floor to ceiling, and from the western 
side is about four hundred feet high. A winding 
staircase ascends from the floor to the summit, 
and at various heights are colonades from which 
the visitor can have beautiful views. 













6 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


! The dome is ornamented with pilasters, cornices 
| and entablatures pointing upward to the sky, and 
| crowning the pinacle of this grand piece of art 
is a statue of Freedom, twenty feet high, com¬ 
menced by Crawford, and after his death, com- 
! pleted by Clark Mills. 

1 Senate Chamber is in the north side of the 
capitol building: it is one hundred and thirteen j 
feet, three inches in length, eighty feet, seven j 
inches in width and thirty-six feet in height.— j 
The ceiling is made of cast iron with skylights, > 
having in color in each the arms of a State or j 
Territory. The galleries will accommodate with j 
seats about 1,200 persons. 

The Representative Hall is in the south j 
side of the capitol building; is one hundred and I 
thirty-nine feet in length, ninety-three feet in 


| width and thirty-six feet in height. It is built 
j about the same as the Senate Chamber, and 
adorned with paintings and statuary, and will 
seat in the galleries about 1,000 persons. 

The W hite House, or President’s mansion, is 
on Pennsylvania Avenue, between Fifteenth and 
Seventeenth streets, and fronting upon Lafayette 
Square. It was built in 1792 and rebuilt after the 
war of 1812; it is built of stone and painted 
white. The lawns around are very grand, con¬ 
taining about twenty acres, gradually descending 
toward the Potomac river. This building is two 
stories high, -one hundred and seventy feet in 
length and eighty-six feet in depth. The north 












MARYLAND AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 7 

of the building, fronting on Pennsylvania avenue, 
has a portico having four Ionic columns, under 
which carriages can pass. Across the avenue on 
the north, in the center of the lawn, is the eques¬ 
trian statue of General Jacksen, built in January, 
1853; the artist, Clark Mills, has the honor of be¬ 
ing the first to erect a statue representing a steed 
standing poised upon his hind legs, having no oth¬ 
er support, it is cast from cannon taken by 
Jackson himself, and cost $50,000. Near the 
White House are the buildings of the Navy and 
War Departments, and also the Treasury Depart¬ 
ment. 

The N avy Yard is about three-fourths of a 
mile southeast of the capitol, and contains twenty- 
seven acres, and is enclosed by a brick wall. In 
this enclosure are houses for the officers, shops 
and warehouses, two large ship houses and an 
armory, all of which are kept in the best of order, 
and kept open for visitors from morning until sun¬ 
set. 

The Patent Office. This magnificent buil¬ 
ding is within the square which is occupied by the 
Interior Department, and contains an almost end¬ 
less variety of models of inventions, and is open to 
visitors from 9 o’clock a. m. to 3 p. m. 

Naval Observatory of U. S., situated on the 
banks of the Potomac in the direction of George¬ 
town. The site is very beautiful, having a com¬ 
manding view of all the surrounding country. It 
occupies a very high rank among the observato- 











8 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJ ECTS. 

j ries of the world, there being only one superior to 1 
it—that of Russia. From this observatory is eal- 
| ciliated the longitude of America, and by it is 
I also regulated the time of the city and Govern¬ 
ment. • 

The Smithsoman Institute is south of the 
| street called Pennsylvania avenue and west of the 
j Capitol building. This beautiful institution was 
endowed by James Smithson, of England, the ob- j 
ject of which was for the “increase and diffusion 
of knowledge.” The principal portion of the I 
| works are constructed of sandstone. It is four j 
| hundred and fifty feet in length and one hundred j 
| and forty in breadth, and has nine towers from \ 
j seventy-five to one hundred and fifty feet in 
: height. It contains a lecture room large enough 
| to hold two thousand persons, a museum of natu- : 

! ral history , a superb laboratory and a gallery for ! 
| pictures and statuary. 

Animals, &c. This scene is a representation | 
j of animals and other objects of interest kept in i 
i the Smithsonian Institute. The animals are buf- 
I falo, moose, South American goat and sheep,white ; 
bear, sturgeon, and the monkey family. The \ 
orang outang is seen standing in the front with a | 
stall* in his hand; beside him the long-armed ape, j 
and a little beyond him is to be seen the head of 
the African gorilla. There is also to be seen a 
view r of the great explorer of the northern region, 
Dr. Kane, and the Esquimaux family, the inhabi¬ 
tants of that cold northern region all clad in 

















MARYLAND AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 


9 ! 

their suits of fur to protect them from the cold. 

Washington’s N ational Monument is also 
to be seen at the Smithsonian Institute. This 
monument, if ever completed, is to be several hun¬ 
dred feet in height, having a base of about seven- 
| ty feet; it is to contain statuary of the early he- 
I roes of our country and relics of Washington.— 

! The work on the monument stopped several years 
j ago, and nothing is to be seen at the present time 
j but the plain shaft of the monument towering up 
to the height of about one hundred and fifty feet. 









CHAPTER II. 


NATIONAL CEMETERIES. 

A description of a few of the leading National 
Cemeteries containing the dead of the war of 
1861, and the number of our noble heroes buried 
in each; also the number interred in National 
Cemeteries in each State. Aside from this there 
is a great many soldiers of our late war buried in 
other cemeteries all over the United States not in¬ 
cluded in the following statement. 

Arlington National Cemetery. This cem¬ 
etery is situated on the Virginia side of the Po¬ 
tomac opposite Washington City, and includes 
that portion of the home of the Confederate 
general R. E. Lee known as Arlington Heights. 

The grounds front (east) on the Georgetown 
and Alexandria turnpike about 3,500 feet, and 
embrace about two hundred acres of uneven land, 
mostly wooded; partly open groves of oak, and 
partly heavily timbered with a dense under- 
| growth. A substantial wall has been erected 











NATIONAL CEMETERIES. 


11 


around the grounds; it is built of Seneca stone 
laid in mortar, and lias exterior buttresses every 
j twenty feet. The main entrance is near the south 
end of the east front. A wide avenue, lined bv 
gutters on each side leads up to the old mansion 
and west through the grounds. There are two 
other entrances for carriages in the east front.—- 
| The graves are arranged in parallel rows. 

There are buried in this cemetery, according to 
the latest report 11,276 Union soldiers; also 
employees and citizens, colored refugees, contra¬ 
bands and Confederate prisoners of war, &c., 4,276. 
The number at the present time, undoubtedly, is 
largely increased, as interments are still being j 
made. 

Andersonville Cemetery is situated about 
| half a mile northeast of the railway station at 
! Anderson on the Southwestern Georgia Itailroad, 
j State of Georgia, and sixty miles south of Macon. 

| The Prison Pen stood about one mile south of the 
| Cemetery. The total number of interments of 
I of Union soldiers, according to latest report, are 
13,712. There are also interred in this Cemetery 
the remains of one hundred and eighteen Confed- j 
crate prisoners of war. 

The burials from the Prison Pens were made in i 
long trenches; those made by the United States j 
were put in single graves in parallel rows. They j 
have generally been covered with Bermuda grass, j 
which form a close, firm turf in the poorest sand in j 
s that hot region. 










12 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


Vicksburgh Cemetery is about two miles north 
of the city of Vicksburgh, state of Mississippi, on 
the west side of the Yazoo Valley road, on which 
it fronts about 600 yards and from which it extends 
back (west) to the Mississippi River, some four 
hundred yards distant. The lot is an irregular 
figure of many sides, and contains forty acres of 
very uneven land. 

The lodge is built of brick, one story high, has 
three rooms, projecting roof, and piazza all around, j 
It is in good order, and is surrounded by hand- j 
some shrubs and flowers. The cistern, tool house, 
&c., are neatly arranged near by. The flag-staff 
is in the center of a circular grass plat, a little to 
the south of the lodge. The total number of 
union soldiers buried in this cemetery, according 
to last report, 16,586 

Memphis National Cemetery. —This Ceme- 
is about seven miles northeast from Memphis, 
cun., on the Louisville and Memphis Railroad, 
on which it fronts east. It contains about 36 acres j 
of nearly level land; a large portion of which is 
covered by a grove of large oak trees. The main 
entrance is in the center of the east side. The 
! lodge and other buildings are near this entrance. 

In the large central circle the graves are arranged 
; in concentric circle. The dead of the Regular 
I Army and Navy are buried there. The whole 
! number of interments of Union soldiers and 
j employes in this cemetry is 13,966. 

! Fort Scott National Cemetery is situated 












NATIONAL CEMETERIES. 


13 


| about one mile south of Fort Scott,state of Kansas, ! 
| and nearly a quarter of a mile east of the Missouri ; 
| River, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad. The lot is ! 
nearly square, and contains some over eight acres. 
It is inclosed by a substantial limestone wall, cov- j 
ered with sandstone capping. There is also a j 
handsome two-story mansion standing just inside 
the wall, on the east side of the cemetery, but fronts 
to the west, and also other out-bull dings, cellar, 
and cistern. The flag-staff stands a few rods to 
j the southeast of the mansion, near which there are 
1 three large held pieces or canons, pointing west- 
| ward over the cemetery. 

The new brick mansion is occupied by the 
Superintendent, Capt. A. Hyde, a very worthy and 
efficient officer. ♦ 

The stone Avail and also the house for the Super- 
| intendent, and out-buildings was completed in the 
summer and fall of the year 1874. There is also a 
contract to have marble head and foot stones 
; placed at all the graves. After this is completed 
this cemetery will produce a magnificent appear¬ 
ance, and certainly be and honor to our noble gov¬ 
ernment in thus caring for the heroes of our coun¬ 
try. The number of graves in this cemetery, 
Union and Confederate soldiers, up to the present 
time, is over 500. 

According to the report of the Quartermaster- j 
General, there are seventy-four national ceme- ! 
teries. A few of the principal ones only have ! 
been described, as our space will not allow r us to j 













14 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

give a description of all, but we will add a list 
of the number of Union and Confederate soldiers 


of the late war interred in the different national 


cemeteries of each state. 

Union Soldiers. 


Maine.169. 

New Hampshire.1T2. 

Vermont.24. 

s 1 assach use tts.271. 

Rhode Island.. 

Connecticut.220. 

Yew York.3709. 

New Jersey.328. 

Pennsylvania.6,271. 

Delaware. 87. 

Maryland.9503. 

District of Columbia.5480. 

West Virginia.1252. 

Virginia.68230. 

North Carolina.18448. 

South Carolina.11954. 

Georgia. 27760. 

Florida.1513. 

Alabama..902. 

Mississippi. 28339. 

Louisiana.20677. 

Texas.3030. 

Arkansas.8153. 

Tennessee....56061. 

Kentucky.10272. 

Ohio.1811. 

Indiana.4440. 

Illinois.‘.6734. 

Missouri.11581. 

Kansas.1755. 

Michigan.193. 

Wisconsin.412. 

Iowa.1069. 

Indian Territory.2123. 


Confederate. 


,3429 

,1434 

..219 

..140 

,2298 

,.125 


565 


118 

,.72 


125 


..2337 
..1556 
..7957 
..1013 
.14 


137 


Total.305492.21533 

The soldiers buried in the remaining states and 
territories belonged almost entirely to the regular 
army, and their deaths were not incidental to the 


rebellion. They are therefore omitted from the 
above recapitulation selected in part from inspec¬ 
tors report of national cemeteries. 


























































































CHAPTER, III. 


STATE OF VIRGINIA. 


Richmond, the capital of V irginia, situated on 
the James River, is a very beautiful and interest¬ 
ing place, abounding in magnificent scenery. 

The ground upon which the town is built con¬ 
sists in numerous hills and valleys, which gives to 
the traveler as he approaches it, a romantic, beau¬ 
tiful and interesting appearance. Richmond may 
well be termed the Queen City of Virginia. At 
the breaking out of the late rebellion, in 1861, it 
became the capital of the Southern Confederacy, 
and became the home of the Southern leaders. At 
the close of the rebellion, when Richmond was 
evacuated by the Confederate forces in April 1865, 
a great amount of property was destroy ed by fire. 
Since that time it has almost entirely recovered 
from the effects of the war. 

The C a fit ad Blttlding at Richmond, is to be 
seen from a distance of several miles around, tow¬ 
ering high above all other buildings, in its magni¬ 
tude and grandeur. 












16 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


! 




The capitol stands in the center of a public 
square, on the brow of a small hill known as Shockoe 
Hill. There are two entrances to the building, 
one on either side, leading directly to the hall in 
the center of the capitol, which is surrounded by a 
dome. 

A Monument of Washington stands in the 
center of the hall, which has the following inscrip¬ 
tion upon it: “Fait par Hondon Citoyen Francais, 
1788.” And also on the pedestal is to be seen the 
worthy and honorable inscription which reads as 
follows: “The General Assembly of the Common¬ 
wealth of Virginia have caused this statue to be 
erected as a monument of affection and gratitude 
to George Washington, who, uniting to the en- j 
dowments of the hero the virtues of the patriot, ! 
and exerting both in establishing the liberties of 
his country, has rendered his name dear to his 
fellow-citizens, and given the world an immortal ; 
example of true glory. Done in the year of Christ 
one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight, and 
in the year of the Commonwealth, the twelfth.” 

The statue is life-size and clothed in uniform. 
Many other objects of interest are within this 
capitol. A short distance from the capitol build¬ 
ing stands the Equestrian Statue of Wash¬ 
ington, executed by Crawford. Other statuaries 
of sculpture-work of some of the noted men of 
America surround it, all of which give to the be¬ 
holder a true specimen of the sculptor’s genius. | 
Other public buildings of Richmond worthy of I 












STATE OF VIRGINIA. 


17 


notice are the Medical College, State Armory, 
City Hall, (Governor’s Mansion, and the Custom 
Mouse, but we will pass from this to the Natural 
Bridge, in Rockbridge county, near the western 
side of the Blue Ridge range of mountains. This 
bridge is justly esteemed one of the most remark - 
able curiosities of the world, and has been an ob¬ 
ject of interest for many centuries to the people of 
the eastern as well as the western continent. 

Among the many visitors that visited this natu- 
al curiosity was the distinguished Marquis de 
Chastellux, major-general in the French army, 
who visited this bridge in 1781, and from his writ- 
i ugs we present a few paragraphs which may be of 
interest to the reader. Describing the bridge in 
the words of the Marquis: -Miaving thus traveled 
for two hours w r e at last descended a steep decliv¬ 
ity, and then mounted another. * * * At last 

my guide said to me: “ You desire to see the N at- 

ural Bridge, don’t you, sir? You are now upon 
it. Alight and go twenty steps either to the right 
or left and you will see this prodigy.” I had per¬ 
ceived that there was on either side a considerable 


deej) hollow, but the trees had prevented me from 
forming any judgment or paying much attention 
to it. Approaching* the precipice, 1 saw, at first, 
two great masses or chains of rocks, w hich formed 
the bottom of a ravine, or rather, of an immense 
abyss. But, placing myself no: with >ut precaution 
upon the brink of the precipice, I saw that these 
tw o buttresses w ere joined under my feet, forming 











18 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


I a vault of which I could yet form no idea but of its 
height. After enjoying this magnificently tre- 
| mendous spectacle, which many persons could not 
bear to look at, I went to the western side, the as¬ 
pect of which was not less imposing, but more pic¬ 
turesque. This bridge, these ancient pines, these 
enormous masses of rocks, so much the more as¬ 
tonishing as they appear to possess a wild symme¬ 
try, and rudely to concur, as it were, in forming a 
certain design—all this apparatus of rude and j 
! shapeless nature, which art attempts in vain, at- j 
j tacks at once the senses and the thoughts and ex- j 
! cites a gloomy and melancholy admiration. 

But it is at the foot of these rocks, on the edge ! 
of a little stream which flows under this immense ! 
arch, that we must judge of its astonishing struct- j 
ure. There we discover its immense spurs, its back 
| bendings, and those profiles which architecture 
might have given it. The arch is not complete; 

; the eastern part ol it not being so large as the west¬ 
ern, because the mountain is more elevated on this 
than on the opposite side.” * * 

The mass of rock and stone which loads this arch 
is forty-nine feet solid on the key of the great cen¬ 
ter, and thirty-seven on that of the smaller one; 
and as w e find about the same difference in taking* 
the level of the hill, it may be supposed that the 
j roof is on a level the whole length of the key. 

It is proper to observe that the live rock contin¬ 
ues also the whole thickness of the arch, and that 
on the opposite side it is only twenty-five feet wide 
















STATE OF VIRGINIA. 


19 


1 in its greatest breadth, and becomes gradually j 
| narrower. The whole arch seems to be formed of 
i one and the same stone; for the joints which one 
remarks are the effect of lightning, which struck 
this part in 1779. The other head has not the 
smallest vein, and the intrados is so smooth that 
the martins, which fly around it in great numbers, 
cannot fasten on it The abutments, which have a 
gentle slope, are entire, and without being absolute 
planes, have all the polish which a current of water 
would give to unhewn stone in a certain time. 
The four rocks adjacent to the abutments seem to 
be perfectly homogenous and have a very trifling 
slope. The two rocks on the right bank of the 
rivulet are two hundred feet high above the sur¬ 
face .of the water; the intrados of the the arch, a 
hundred and fifty, and the two rocks on the left 
bank a hundred and eighty. 

If we consider this bridge simply as a pictur¬ 
esque object, we are struck with the majesty with 
which it towers in the valley. The white oaks 
which grow upon it, seem to rear their lofty sum¬ 
mits to the clouds, while the same trees which bor¬ 
der on the rivulet appear like shrubs. 

| Though the sides of the bridge are provided, in 
some parts, with a parapet of rocks, yet few men 
I have resolution to walk to them and look over into 
the abyss. You involuntarily fall on your hands 
and feet, and creep to the parapet and look over it. 
Looking down from this height about a minute 
g:ive me a violent headache; the view is painful 









20 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


ancl intolerable.” 

The most beautiful view of the .Natural Bridge 
is from below. As the sun rises in all its splendor 
and shines through this great arch, presents a 
scene of very extraordinary beauty and sublimity. 
A great many hazardous attempts have been made 
by different individuals to ascend from the bottom 
to the top of this wonderful rocky arch by climb¬ 
ing from rock to rock up the rocky side of this 
arch, and then inscribing their names in the 
rock. A no less personage than George Wash¬ 
ington once ascended far up the rocky wall and 
cut his name in the rock, far above any other 
name. About the year 1818, Mr. Piper, a student 
of Washington College ascended this awful rocky 
wall by taking advantage of every ledge, cleft and 
protuberance, he finally reached a point far above 
that of any other namd, fully fifty feet above 
that of Washington and stood upon a ledge 
which appeared to his terrified fellow stu¬ 
dents, standing below, to be only a few inches in 
width, and waving one hand in triumph he shout¬ 
ed aloud to his comrades below, while clinging to 
the face of the rock with the- other. The oft re¬ 
peated cries of his friends beneath him to return, I 
he heeded not, but still continued to ascend, cling¬ 
ing to every object within its reach, working his 
dangerous way through clefts in this great rock, 
and so he continued his course until he reached 
the height of one hundred and seventv feet from 
the bottom of this mighty arch; here he paused 









STATE OF VIRGINIA. 21 

and looked upward. His heart had failed him. 
He dared not look downward, but cautiously be¬ 
gan to consider by what means he could retrace 
his steps. He first stripped himself of his shoes 
and outside clothing, and slowly and with great 
care began to descend this mighty wall, while his 
friends stood beneath him with trembling limbs 
and upturned eves awaiting his almost certain fall. 
He still carefully descends, and finally,contrary to 
| the expectations of his friends at the bottom, he 
| reaches them in safety. 

Natural Tunnel. —The next wonder of natu- 
1 ral scenery is the Natural Tunnel in Scott county. 
! One might say, the most striking scenery of South- 
! Western Virginia is the forest growths; but this 
! surprise naturally recurs at every visit to the Nat¬ 
ural Tunnel, which is not so lofty in its arch as the 
, Natural Bridge but lengthier and more tortuous 
| in its natural course through the mountain. The 
I arch over the tunnel is seventy or eighty feet high, 
but the passage through is somewhat difficult, 
caused by some natural curves obstructing the 
light. The traveler cannot generally suppress a 
feeling of terror or genuine horror, which will very 
naturally steal over him as he plunges into the 
central portion of the curve in the tunnel, and is 
plunged into midnight darkness, and as he emerg¬ 
es from the darkness, can but hail the beautiful 
sunlight with delight, exalted and prolonged by 
beautiful peaks of naked rocks ascending for sev¬ 
eral hundred feet around him; while around and 














HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


j 22 
I - 

above rise the forest-crowned summit, and wind- | 
ingblue waters of the Welkin. 

Wk.yer’s Cave is situated in the northwestern 
part of Augusta county,a short distance west of the 
Blue Ridge Mountains. This cave was discovered j 
by Bernard Weyer. While hunting for game in 
that region he ferreted out the retreat of his game | 
(an opossum), into the cave, the mouth of which i 
would scarcely admit his body to pass through, 
j No doubt he must have been terrified on finding 

' . ■i 

j himself in such a wonderful cavern. The mouth i 
j of the cave since then has been enlarged so that a 
person can walk upright into it. It is found in a 
large hill, or, rather, a branch of the Blue Ridge 
Mountains. A strange feeling naturally steals 
over one on entering this wonderful cave, and as 
his eye pierces beyond the pale, glimmering light j 
of his guide, he cannot suppress a feeling of awe | 
and surprise at the massive walls of rock all around | 
and above him, and wonder at the wonderful 1 
works of the Creator. 

This cave has several chambers or divisions 
which were named after things that they seemed i 
to represent. First we will notice what is called j 
{ the Ghost Chamber, which is a single, tall white j 
figure, standing at the end of a small hall properly 
representing what might be called a ghost. After 
leaving this hall, one passes a few paces further 
to what is called the cataract, or JL)ead _N i agar a, 
which is a mass of rocks bearing the appearance 
of a mighty wall, petrified, as it were in its leap j 













STATE OF VIRGINIA. 


23 


| over the precipice. 

| There is also to be seen in the further end of the j 
i cave a hall called Washington’s Hall; a natural 
i winding stairway of rock, which has been named 
I Jacob’s Ladder, and near by a rock representing 
a table, called Jacob’s Tea Table, also what is 
called Jacob’s Ice-House, or Bottomless Pit. This 
! pit is a deep open chamber in the rock, and is 
; called bottomless, as the bottom has never been 
! reached,it is still unknown to what depth it extends. 

There is still other scenery of interest with- 
! in this wonderful chasm. The Senate Chamber, | 

| The Speaker’s Chair, the Cathedral, the Chande- 
| Her, all of which bear a fair resemblance to the ob- 
i jects after which they are named. 

This cave was once described a few years ago, 

| by a gentleman who visited it at a public or an- j 
| nual illumination, in the following language : j 
j “There is a fine sheet of rock work running up ! 

! the center of this room, and giving it the aspect 
i of two separate and noble galleries, till you look 
! above, where you observe the partition rises only 
| about twenty feet towards the roof, and leaves the 
fine arch expanding over our head. There is a 
beautiful concretion here, standing out in the room, 

I which certainly has the form and drapery of a 
I ffiffantic statue,and bears the name of the nation’s 

loo 

hero, and the whole place is filled with these 
projections—appearances which excite the im- 
'• agination by suggesting resemblances and leav¬ 
ing them unfinished. 
















24 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

----- | 

The general effect, too, was perhaps indescrib- | 

able. The fine perspective of this room, four j 
times the length of an ordinary church; the nu- | 
merous tapers, when near you, so encumbered by I 
deep shadows as to give only a dim, religious j 
light, and, when at a distance, appearing in their j 
various attitudes, like twinkling stars on a deep, j 
dark heaven; the amazing, vaulted roof spread I 
over you, with its carved and knotted surface, to 
which the streaming lights below in vain endeav- 
: ored to convey their radiance; together with the 
! impression that you had made so deep an entrance ' 

; and were so entirely cut off from the living world j 
| and ordinary things, produced an effect which, ! 

| perhaps, the mind can conceive but once, and will j 
| retain forever. Weyer’s Cave is, in my judgment, j 
| one of the great natural wonders of the New i 
World, and, for its eminence in its own class, de- 
serves to be ranked with the Natural Bridge and 
Niagara, while it is far less known than either. 
Its dimensions by the most direct course, are more 
than sixteen hundred feet, and by the more wind¬ 
ing paths, twice that length; and its objects are 
remarkable for their variety, formation, and beau¬ 
ty. In both respects it will, I think, compare 
without injury to itself, with the celebrated grotto 
of Antiparos.” 
















CHAPTER IV. 


MOUNTAINS OF THE WORLD, ETC. 

Some of the principal and highest mountain 
peaks upon the globe are among the Himalayas. 
The highest elevation of these is Mt. Everst, the 
summit of which is 29,002 feet above the level of 
the sea. A number of the peaks rise from 25,000 
! to 28,000 feet. A great many peaks in Asia rise 
to over 15,000 feet. In Europe the highest moun¬ 
tains are Mt. Blanc, 15,775 feet in height ; Monte 
Rosa, 15,150; Fluster-Aarkorn, 14,106. The Py¬ 

renees has several peaks over 11,000 feet in height. 
Mt. EBtna is 10,874 feet in height, and Vesuvius, 
3,378. In Africa the mountains of Abyssinia 
| reach to t he height of 13,000 feet, and some other 
snow covered mountains in the countries south of 
Abyssinia, are generally supposed to be still high¬ 
er. In the Canary Islands, the peak TeneriiFe is 
12,180 feet in height. The Table Mountain of the 
i Cape of Cloud Hope, 3,582 feet. In South Amer¬ 
ica the highest peak of the Andes, is Xevado de 
Sorata, 25,300 feet high. A few other peaks of 















26 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

the Andes are nearly as high above the sea level. 
Catapnxi, the highest active volcano in the world, 
is 18,858 feet in height. Papocatepetle, a volcano 
in Mexico is 17,720 feet in height, and the plateau 
of Mexico is 7,500 feet, that of California, 6,000. 
The highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada are from i 
15,000 to 17,000 feet. The highest point of the j 
Rocky Mountains is 13,500 feet. 

There are twelve peaks of the Appalachian moun¬ 
tains, in North Carolina, from 6,300 to 6,700 feet 
in height. Mt. Katahdin in the state of Maine is 
about 5,000, and Tahamus, in New York, 5,337 in 
height above the sea level. The White Mountains, 
which are situated in New Hampshire, are divided 
into two groups. The eastern are known locally 
as the White Mountains ; the western as the Fran¬ 
conia group. These mountain peaks are separated 
by a table land which is from ten to twenty miles j 
in width. Mount Washington is the highest peak j 
of the eastern group, the summit of which is 6,285 
feet above the level of the ocean. The height of 
some of the other principal peaks of the White 
Mountains are as follows : Adams, 5,759 'feet; 
Jefferson, 5,657 ; Madison, 5,415 ; Monroe, 5,349; 
Franklin, 4,850 ; Pleasant, 4,712. Some of the 
principal peaks of the western group are Lafay¬ 
ette, 5,500 feet in height; Moose Hillock, 4,636 ; 
Chocorna, 3,358, and Mount Kearsage, 2,461 feet 
high. There are several other prominent peaks 
in this group, but for want of time and space, in 
this work, the principal peaks only are named, j 











27 MOUNTAINS OF THE WORLD, ETC. 

This region produces a very cool but healthy cli¬ 
mate, and abounds in a great variety of beautiful 
scenery; has for many years been the favorite re¬ 
sort in summer for people from almost all parts of 
the globe, who flock there for recreation in this 
beautiful and healthful clime. 

Trees, &c. —The principal trees on these moun- : 
tains are birch, spraee and fir. Up near the sum¬ 
mit of these mountains are the mosses and lichens j 
and Alpine 'flowers. The highest summits are 
covered with snow almost the whole year. Very 
sudden mountain storms often occur, loosening 
boulders and causing land slides very frequently. 

The White Mountain Notch, which is a pass j 
through the mountains is only twenty-three feet 1 
in width, and between two huge and almost per- 
; pendicular rocks. . To see the Notch clearly, one | 
must ascend to the top of the mountain and look 
down* into the Notch below, a distance of about j 
twelve hundred feet. The road beneath looks like j 
! a small path, arid the river as but a very slender 
stream. It was near this pass that the land slide ! 
occurred in the }^eai* a. d. 1826, which destroyed ! 
the Wiley family. The little Wiley house stood 
for many years afterwards as an object of interest 
and a monument of the great disaster which de- : 
stroyed the family that once occupied this hum- j 
ble little mansion. In the month of August of the 
above named year, there was a terrible storm upon j 
this mountain, swelling all the streams and cans- i 
ing the mountain slide which destroyed the Wiley 









28 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


family. Suddenly aroused from their slumbers in 
the dead hour of mid-night, they saw but too 
plainly, by the lightning’s flash, the rushing of the 
waters around them, and the huge mountain above 
them moving down upon them as if ready to bury 
them beneath it. Frantic with fear, the father 
and all rushed out into the storm, endeavoring to 
escape the terrible mass of mountain that seemed 
ready to destroy them. But, alas ! the huge mass 
parted and passed by on either side of the little 
cottage, leaving it standing, but overtaking its 
occupants, who were immediately swept away 
by the descending deluge. 

The Flume. —There is a ravine near the south¬ 
ern extremity of the Franconia Notch, very beau¬ 
tiful and picturesque. It is a remarkable figure i 
in the mountain, about fifty feet high and several 
| hundred long. Through this wonderful mountain • 
pass flows a narrow stream. A small bridge Spans : 

| the narrowest part of the ravine. All this presents 1 . 
| to the beholder the beauties of nature and the | 

I great and wonderful power of the Creator. 

Echo Lake, which is the only body of still 
water that lies near to any of the White Mountain 
peaks, and is, it as were, surrounded by the wil¬ 
derness and overlooked by the mountain peak of 
Lafayette. 

Mount Washington Railroad.— A railroad 
has been constructed for the purpose of ascending 
to the top of Mount Washington. This railroad 
| is a very ingenious piece of mechanism, and shows 









MOUNTAINS OF THE WORLD, ETC. 29 

the wonderful mechanical power of man. This road 
! has a gradual ascent of 3,624 feet in about three 
; miles, which is about equal to one foot per yard, 
i The engine ascends and descends this wonderful 
road by means of cog-wheels placed beneath and 
in center of the engine, and interlocking cogs in 
j the center rail of the track, by means of which 
j (and the wonderful power of steam) it is able to 
; climb and descend this great mountain peak, 

Tip-Top House, which stands on the summit of 
Mount Washington, is very roughly but substan¬ 
tially built, and presents a very romantic and 
thrilling appearance, especially to those unaccus¬ 
tomed to mountain scenery. This house was built 
for the accommodation of persons visiting this 
place as a summer resort, and also for an observa- 
l tory of the surrounding mountain peaks and 
beautiful scenery. The natural effect upon per- 
I sons standing upon this mountain and viewing the 
| surrounding peaks of mountains and beautiful 
i scenery almost beneath them, is certainly grand 
| and appalling. Around you in every direction, is 
masses of mountains bearing the appearance of a j 
I fearful, unbroken wilderness; but one soon becomes I 
| accustomed to the wonderful scene, and then can 
| look on with calm, quiet wonder at the wonderful 
I works of nature. To the southeast, in the distance, 

| ean dimly be seen the Atlantic Ocean, more than 
sixty miles off*. The nearest high peak of the 
! Green Mountains in the state of Maine, is plainly 
j visible, while the space between is filled with va¬ 
rious and beautiful scenery of mountains, hills, 
plains, valleys, lakes and rivers. 











CHAPTER V. 

NIAGARA FALLS. 

The Falls of Niagara may be considered one of 
the greatest water-falls of the known world ; un- 
eqnaled in magnitude and grandeur, and produc¬ 
ing a great variety of the wonderful works of na¬ 
ture. They have attracted an influence over a 
great many of the human family from all parts of 
I the world, who have visited this great water-fall 
for the purpose of gazing upon this tumultuous 
scene of rushing waters; and who could but won- 
I der and adore the wonderful works of Almighty 
God, the creator and preserver of all things,' whilst 
| beholding this scene of His great power, which is 
| perhaps more fully exhibited in this great water- 
I fall than in any other scene on the globe. 

The Niagara River receives its waters from the 
j four great lakes, Superior, Huron, Michigan and 
Erie. This river is about thirty-six miles in length 
and empties into Lake Ontario, and is a part of the 
boundary line between New York and Canada. 

I About twenty-two miles below Lake Erie are the 










HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 31 

| great falls of N iagara. Iris, or Goat Island, divides 
the water into two falls. The American and Horse 
Shoe Falls, or, as the latter is sometimes termed, 

■ the Canadian Falls. The American Falls are one 
hundred and sixty-three feet in height, and nine 
hundred feet in width. The Horse Shoe Falls, or 
as it is sometimes termed, the Canadian Falls, is 
j one hundred and fifty-four feet in height and two 
; thousand feet in width. The tremendous roar of 
the falls may often be heard for many miles around. 
With a favorable wind it has often been heard for 
a distance of forty or fifty miles, while at other 
times, and against the wind, can only be heard a | 
short distance. Over this wonderful precipice 
the water rushes with great rapidity. The water 
commences its rapid motion about one mile above 

the falls, at the Three Sister Islands, and gradually 

increases in motion as it approaches the falls, 
when it leaps over the wonderful abyss with a 
fearful bound. The space between the sheet of 
water as it passes over the falls and the wall widens 
at the bottom. The strata being of a loose char- j 
acter is constantly hollowed out by the action of 1 
the spray, in consequence of which a cave is | 
: formed behind the fall of water on the Canada 
| side, into which persons may pass by a rough and 
! dangerous path almost to Goat Island. The river 
above the falls has a number of Islands, 87 in all. 
The river at the falls is about three quarters of a 
mile in width. There is a small village at the falls, 

! on the east side of the riser. Among the princi- j 











32 


HISTORY OP PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


pal hotels are the Cataract House and International 
Hotel, which are on the American side, and the 
Clifton House on the Canada side. 

Three Sister Islands are three small islands 
lying near each other about one mile above the 
falls. These three islands and Goat Island are 
connected with each other and the shore by sub¬ 
stantial suspension bridges which span each chan¬ 
nel. From these bridges the noble and beautiful 
river is seen hurrying on in great confusion to its 
final leap; and, as the beholder stands and gazes 
down upon the raging and foaming waters beneath 
him, he can but wonder and adore the wonderful 
works of the Creator. This is the most magnifi¬ 
cent point from which to observe the rapids above 
the falls. There is a gradual descent of nearly 
sixty feet in depth from the head of the rapids to 
the brink of the falls, and it is wonderful to behold 
•the raging of the waters down this tremendous 
descent, as if fretting with impatience to reach the 
flood below. 

Terapin Tower.— This tower formerly stood 
on a projection of rocks on the brink of the falls, 
and was connected with Goat Island by a bridge. 
These rocks stand between the American and 
Horse Shoe Falls on w hich the tower stood and 
from which a beautiful view- of the falls could be 
had. But recently the rock on which the tower 
stood has been broken off and the tower and rock 
went over the falls into the abyss below. 

Goat Island.— This island is situated just 










NIAGARA FALLS. 


33 


above the falls, and is about half a mile in length, 
a quarter in breadth, contains about seventeen 
acres and is covered with timber. It was named 
Goat Island from a man keeping some goats on it 
to pasture, in the year 1770. Its other name was 
derived from a number of rainbows that has been 
and still is seen so frequently near it. The ever 
I rising columns of spray that rises upward from the 
gulf below, causes at all hours of the day (when 
the sun shines) the rainbow to appear in all its 
beauty and glory, “for there indeed has God for- 
I ever set his bow in the cloud.” 

Cave of Winds. —This cave is situated at the 
! foot of a rock which is between Goat and Luna 
; Islands, on the American side of the river, and is 
i one of the splendid sights to be seen at the falls. 

This cave has been formed by the action of the 
I water upon the soft substance of the precipice, 
j which has washed away underneath the solid lime- 
I stone that projects above at the top of the preci¬ 
pice, leaving the cave beneath this rock. 

The spray, which is hurled with considerable 
force under this rock and along the bottom of the 
cave, striking the wall and curling upward arid 
outward to the entrance of the cave, causing the 
rough turmoil which has procured for it the name, 
Cave of the Winds. 

Table Rock is occasionally breaking off*, and 
thus it is likely to continue, and soon Table Rock 
will exist only in memory. 

There is a stairway a short distance from this 











34 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


rock by means of which persons can descend un¬ 
der the overhanging cliff, and, if any one wish it, 
be clad in the water-proof suit provided for the I 
purpose, and go under the Horse Shoe Falls. The I 
view here is very grand and sublime, and as one j 
gazes at the frowning cliff over him, which seems j 
tottering to fall, and as he passes under the curtain ' 
of water, so near that he can almost reach it, and is 
stunned by the noise of the water, an indescribable 
feeling of awe will unavoidably come over him, i 
and he is still more and more impressed with the 
magnificence of Niagara. 

Niagara in winter produces a very attracting j 
influence over the beholder, when its great waters j 
collect in one mass of frozen vapor, snow and water I 
forming a complete mountain of ice and foam be- j 
low the falls. In this season of the year the ever ; 
rising spray that comes continually from the cat- : 

| aract, coats the trees and bushes, and in fact every .j 
thing within its bounds, with a coat of the frozen j 
; spray, presenting a subliipe and beautiful appear- j 
ance, that cannot be realized in the summer sea- j 
son of the year. 

Whirlpool Rapids. —Between two and three 
miles below the falls, the river takes a very short 
turn, causing the water to strike with terrible I 
j force against the Canada side; this, together with 
the undercurrent produced by the water going over 
the falls, and arrising to the surface some distance i 
below the falls, causes these rapids. 

Niagara Railroad Suspension Bridge.— 










r 


NIAGARA FALLS. 


35 


This bridge was completed ready for use in the 
spring of 1855, at a cost of about $500,000. There 
is a carrige way directly under the railroad about 
twenty feet beneath. The bridge is built so that 
it has immense strength. It is eighty-eight feet 
in height on the American side, and seventy-eight 
feet on the Canada side. It has four large wire 
cables, made of small wire, which contain about 
four thousand miles of wire. The weight of this 
bridge is estimated at about eight hundred tons. 
It stands two miles below the falls. 

New Suspension Bridge. —This bridge is built 
about one-half a mile below 7 the great falls. It 
was built for carriages and foot passengers, at a 
cost of $120,000, The towers on the Canada side 
are one hundred and twenty feet in height, and 
on the American side one hundred and six. The 
distance from tow er to tower is one thousand two 
hundred and thirty feet. The height of the bridge 
from the water is two hundred and fifty-six feet. 
On each side of the bridge is a strong railing, five 
feet in height. By being upon this bridge per¬ 
sons have a magnificent view of both American 
and Horse Shoe Falls, and also a very beautiful 
view’ of Table Rock, Goat Island, the Rapids, and 
the thundering, and as it were, troubled waters 
below the falls. 

Queenstown stands down the river on the 
Canada side. Is remarkable for its beautiful 
scenery, and the monument of the British General 
who fell in battle on the neighboring heights 


on 




















36 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

the 13th of October 1812, called Brooks’ Monu¬ 
ment. It is about two hundred feet high, sur¬ 
rounded by a Corinthian capitol, upon which is a 
statute of War. The dome is nine feet high, and 
is reached by means of steps starting from the base 
inside of the monument. There is placed on top 
of the dome a statue of General Brooks. The 
view of the country surrounding this place, from j 
this monument, is most beautiful and interesting. 


! 


i 














CHAPTER YJ. 


NEW YORK. 

The city of New York proper, stands on Man¬ 
hattan Island, which is thirteen and a half miles 
in length and averaging one and three-fifths of a 
mile in breadth, forming an aera of about twenty- 
two square miles, containing fourteen thousand 
acres. The adjoining islands in East River and 
the bay make four hundred additional acres be¬ 
longing to the city. The city is situated at the 
mouth of the Hudson river; about eighteen miles 
from the Atlantic ocean, in about 41 deg. north 
latitude and 74 deg. west longitude. The city 
and county are identical in limits, and occupy 
the whole surface of Manhattan Island, Randall’s, 
Ward’s and Blackwell’s Islands in the East river, 
and Ellis’, Bedloe’s and Governor’s islands in the 
bay; the three last being occupied by the United 
States government. 

'File Harbor at New York. —This is one 
amongst the finest and most beautiful harbors in 
the world. 












38 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

Central Park. —“There are many public en¬ 
terprises intended for the benefit of the city which 
mistaken calculations or official corruption have 
made complete or comparative failures. One, at 
least, can be presented, which has more than filled 
the most sanguine expectations that were ever 
entertained of it. This notable exception is the 
Central Park. We call it Central Park now ; 
had we done so fifteen years ago, we would have ! 
been looked upon as lunatics. Allowing some- I 
thing for the foresight of the projectors who named i 
it, there is likelihood that in less than a quarter of j 
a century, those who called it “Central” will be 1 
regarded as—speaking mildly—short sighted spec- j 
ulators. But, regarding it as it is now, it is un- j 
questionably the most beautiful park of its age in I 
the world, and, even leaving the matter of age out I 
of the question, it is doubtful if any park can be j 
found to surpass it in features of natural or arti- I 
I ficial beauty. The admission must be made that 
j its features of natural beauty were few. They 
; wej’e mainly boulders and swamps. But engi¬ 
neering science came into the field, and the results ! 

| have been those that the story of Alladin suggest- ! 

ed to us, or that might have occurred in the twink- | 

| ling of a brilliant dream. It may truthfully be I 
| said that there is no more beautiful or attractive ' 
spot on earth. The park has outgrown its faults j 
of juvenescence. 

*Tts trees may not be as noble in the granduer ' 
of age as those which line the avenues which lead 












NEW YORK. 39 I 

j ______ | 

: up to the ancestral castles, plentiful in Europe; 
the country is not old enough for that; but what 
wonders a few years can accomplish have been 
accomplished in and by the Central Park. It has 
trees that need not be ashamed to show what they , 
can do in the sub tegmine fagi line of business. 
The shrubberies are as luxuriant as any at Syden¬ 
ham or Chatsworth. The lakes are more artistically 
laid out and bordered than in any rival place of 
the kind. The architectural decorations are be¬ 
yond comparison, while the practical accommoda¬ 
tions for the public have never been approached. 
In summer, verdant with every shade of green.it 
is glorious, and in winter it has attractions which 
only those who have enjoyed them know. Noth¬ 
ing could possibly be so delightful as a moon-light 
; night skating on its frozen sheets of water, unless 
| it were a summer evening music festival upon its 
I emerald swards. To come down to mechanical 
details about the park’s dimensions is more than 
I ought to be expected. Suppose it does commence 
I at fifty-ninth street and extend to one hundred 
| and tenth, is that to be allowed to interfere with 
the little touch of romance one feels about it ? j 
Why should one’s illusions of its illimitable vast- ! 
ness be circumscribed by being told it is thirteen 
! thousand five hundred and seven feet, nine inches 
four-tenths in length, and twenty-seven hundred 
and eighteen feet, six inches and nine-tenths in 
: breadth, making a superficial area of eight hun- 
i dred and forty-three acres ? Why speak by name j 












40 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

of it numerous gates, when everybody knows by i 
this time how to get to it and into it? Why ; 
speak more fully of its grottoes, caverns and i 
eyries? Are they not known to the multitude of 
the people? And the menagerie? Well it is not ; 
e mpleted yet. There may be lions of Africa, and 
^ .gal tigers, and elephants to come along after 
a while, but in the mean time we have to be con¬ 
tent with numerous water-fowl, and such other 
additions as foreign and domestic donors may 
supply. It is good as it is, and future enterprise 
will make it better. In a very few years there will 
be a first-class zoological collection in Central 
Park.” 

.! The tour, or drive is a spacious macadamized road 
! for vehicles, with a wide foot-path on either side. I 
! It makes the entire circuit of the grounds. In its j 
j serpentine course it embraces all the great archi- 
I tectural and scenic features of the Park. In its i 
| course it crosses many fine bridges and archways, 
j now over, and now under the foot-paths and bridle 
; roads. It presents a brilliant and inspiring spec- 
I tacle as seen upon sunny afternoons when alive 
| with the whirl of a thousand gay and gorge- 
j ous carriages, bearing the elite and fashion of the 
city through their daily airing.” 

“The bridle road follows the great carriage-way ; 
with many capricious detours through all the long 
circuit of the Park. It is entirely shut out, how¬ 
ever, from*the carriage route, which it never cross- I 
es, except upon archways above or below. * * 















NEW YORK. 


41 

The total length of the Bridal Boad is between 
five and six miles. 

“The ramble is a charmingly wooded labyrinth 
of thirty-two acres, lying upon the broad hill- 
slope which drops down from the lower end 
of the old reservoir at Seventy-Ninth street to the 
margin of the Central Lake. It is a wonderfully 
secluded and quiet spot, quite undisturbed in all 
its generous extent by any road except the intri¬ 
cate foot-paths, through rich shrubbery of ever 
changing form and tint, leading the willing wan- 
! derer amidst their inexplicable mazes, now into 
the grateful shade of some*Arcadian bower, and 
anon to the crest of some rocky cliff*, overlooking 
the sunlit landscape far and near. It is the spot 
of all spots in the great Park for dreams and rev- 
ery, and will naturally become sacred to sentiment 
and love. 

“The Central Lake is an exquisite reach 
of bright waters, covering an area of twenty 
acres, and bounded by a shore of infinite variety 
and beauty. Upon the upper side are the wooden 
slopes of the B amble, stealing down with gentle, 
grassy step, or jutting out in bold, rocky promon¬ 
tory. At the south-east is the grand marble 
esplanade of the Terrace, with its gorgeous 
arches, fountains, steps, and statues. At its nar¬ 
row base beyond—where it is almost cut in two 
like a modern belle—it is spanned by a noble 
wrought iron foot-bridge, with a single arch of 
eighty-seven and a half feet.” 













42 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

This structure is called the “ Bow Bridge,” from 
its general likeness in form to a long bow ; and 
sometimes the “Flower Bridge,” in consideration of 
the heavy vases of trailing plants which surmount 
its abutments. Another beautiful bridge carries a 
carriage road and walk over the channel connect¬ 
ing the main and western portion of the lake, and 
yet another, near by—most picturesquely con¬ 
structed of wood—conducts a foot-path across 
the little bayou which approaches the western cape 
of the Ramble. Pretty boats dot the surface of 
the lake, bearing visitors—for a moderate fee— 
hither and thither. . . . Whole fleets of snow 

white swans, too, are ever gliding in stately prog¬ 
ress through the winding waters. . . . When 

the ice is in suitable condition, the fact is 
announced by the elevation of a red ball upon the 
Tower Hill above. The welcome news is repeated. 

! . . . Every one tells his neighbor that the 

; “Ball is up !” whereupon, no matter how cold it 
, may be, all the world, young and old, rich and 
j poor, men and maidens rush pell-mell to the Park, 
forthwith put on skates, and hold high saturnalia 
there from earliest morn to latest night. 

“ The Mall is a beautiful lawn in the south- j 
; west, between Sixty-fifth and Seventy-Second ! 
' streets. Here is a grand promenade thirty-five j 
feet broad, and twelve hundred and twelve feet i 
long, flanked on either side by rustic seats and by 
a double row of overarching elms. One of the 
j southern approaches to the Mall is under the ele- 











NE W YORK. 


43 

gant marble archway called the Alcove, and 
thence by broad steps ascending on either hand. 
^Northward, the spacious walk terminates in a 
scene of unwonted beauty upon the upper esplan¬ 
ade of that imposing structure known as the 
Water Terrace. At this happy point seats are 
arranged for the cozy enjoyment of the orchestral 
strains which fill the grateful air at appointed 
days arid hours.” 

The Flower Garden occupies the area upon 
the Fifth avenue between Seventy-Third and 
Seventy-Fifth streets. 

“The Cave is a bold and romantic rock cham¬ 
ber which opens northward at the western slope of 
the Ramble, and southward upon a little arm of 
the lake. It was discovered by chance, but not 
in its present spacious and accessible form, for it 
owes all its availability to the judicious assistance 
of art.” 

“ Tower Hill, above the Ramble, is one of the 
highest points in the Park. The topography nat¬ 
urally suggested the use which has been made of 
it as a generally observatory. . . . One hun¬ 

dred and thirty-six acres of the central area of the 
I Park are occupied by the Croton reservoirs. 

. . . The Park is not for the present day 

alone, but for all the generations to come; and if 
! the generous people of Uew York shall be j 
! remembered and blessed by their posterity for any ! 
' good deed, above all others it will be for this ines- 1 
I timable gift.” j 









44 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

“ Brooklyn, while incorporated as a distinct 
city, is practically identical with New York. 
Brooklyn is reached by numerous ferries. In 
time the East river will be spanned by a bridge, 
now begun, which promises to be the most 
remarkable piece of engineering in the country. 
In Brooklyn is Greenwood Cemetery, reached by 
numerous lines of cars, starting from the ferries. 
Greenwood is the handsomest cemetery in the 
country, both as regards the beauty of its surface, 
and the elegance of its monuments.” 

“ Prospect Park, Brooklyn, is a noble park, 
and well worth visiting. It may be reached by 
cars starting from the ferries. It contains over 
five hundred acres, is beautifully wooded, has arti¬ 
ficial lakes, fine drives, and is very attractive. 
Clinton avenue, Brooklyn, is lined with embow¬ 
ered villas, and very beautiful. A view' of New 
York from Brooklyn Heights—reached best by 
Wall street ferry—is superb. The heights are 
crowded with splendid residences. The Navy 
Yard is also in Brooklyn—reached by ferry to 
Bridge street. The Atlantic dock—Hamilton 
ferry, foot of Broadway—should be visited.” 

Lake George is in the state of New York, 
and empties into Lake Champlain at Ticonderoga. 
It is surrounded by exceedingly high mountains. 
The waters are very deep and generally very clear, 
and abound in the finest of fish. The French for¬ 
merly used this lake for sacramental purposes, for 
which it was termed by them, “ Lake Sacrament.” 




NEW YORK. 45 

Saratoga Springs are in the state of New 
York, thirty-six miles north of Albany, and about 
ten or twelve in number, with various properties, 
but are all saline and chalybeate, issuing from a 
limestone formation which underlies the surface 
of sandy soil upon which the town stands. These 
springs are annually resorted to in the summer 
season by from 30,000 to 40,000 persons. . Many 
invalid persons have received lasting benefits 
from the use of these medicinal waters. 

West Point is situated on a beautiful spot on j 
the Hudson river, encircled by mountains, hills, ! 
and cliffs. Below, the Hudson flows in ceaseless 
splendor, teeming with life as the splendid steam¬ 
ers, well called “ Floating Palaces,” which pass 
and repass. West Point has ever tended to 
ennoble all who have enjoyed its advantages and 
profited by them. It has stamped an unmistaka¬ 
ble seal on each of its children. Let all Ameri¬ 
cans be proud of their military academy. Let 
them be proud of its professors and proud of its 
location. 

The Catskill Mountains, situated in the 
state of New York, present to the beholder a 
variety of magnificent scenery. The twin lakes, 
which lie near, and their outlet, conduct to what 
are perhaps the most striking features of these 
mountains, the cascades of the mountain streams 
and the deep gorges through which they find their 
way to the lands below. 

Clove of the Catskill. —This is a remarka- 












46 HISTORY OF PLAGES AND OBJECTS. 

ble ravine about five miles in length. It is wild, 
romantic, and terrible enough to behold, for the 
most ardent lover of the rough scenery of nature. 
The waterfalls of this stream are beautiful. The 
water leaping down at the first fall a distance of 
about four hundred and eighty feet, and the other 
eighty feet, emptying through the clove into the 
plain that is below. There is a road, twelve miles 
in length, leading from the village of Catskill to 
the Mountain House perched upon a mountain ter¬ 
race about two thousand five hundred feet above 
the level of the river. 

The highest mountain summits are High Peak 
and Round Top, each more than five thousand 
feet above the level of the sea. 

Buffalo, a noted city of New York, and the 
county seat of Erie county, is situated at the east¬ 
ern extremity of Lake Erie and at the head of 
Niagara River. It was founded in the year 1801 
by the Holland Land Company, and during the 
war between England and the United States in 
1814, it was burned by the British and Indians, 
for which loss Congress appropriated to the city 
eighty thousand dollars. The city is very hand¬ 
somely built, having a water front of about five 
miles on the lake and river, and beautiful streets 
bordered with a profusion of shade trees. 

Cayuga Lake lies near the central part of the 
state of New York. The most remarkable feature 
of the scenery at the head of the lake is the num¬ 
ber of gorges and ravines which have been worn 









NEW YORK. 47 

into the surrounding hills by the streams which 
pour down the lakeward slopes. At the head of 
this lake is situated the town of Ithica, a name 
brought before the American people as the seat of 
Cornell University. 

Fall Creek, the most northerly stream passing 
through Ithica, abounds in very magnificent scen¬ 
ery. Within the distance of a mile there are 
eight falls. The highest of these is Ithica Fall, 
which is a hundred and fifty feet. The others 
are Forest Fall, Foaming Fall, Triphammer Fall, 
and Rocky Fall, the highest of these range from 
sixty to thirty feet of perpendicular fall. 

Carcadilla Creek is about half a mile south 
of Fall Creek. Being smaller, it possesses a more 
delicate variety of scenery. Its cascades are ac¬ 
cessible only by the most hardy explorers. 

Eneield Falls. —About six miles from Ithica 
in a south-westerly direction is Enfield Falls, a 
place of much interest on account of the great 
depth which a stream of moderate dimensions has 
furrowed into the earth. The water reaches the 
main fall through a narrow canyon a hundred feet 
deep, and then pours down almost perpendicu¬ 
larly a hundred and eighty feet, into a chasm 
whose walls rise three hundred feet on either side. 
The most noted of all the waterfalls about the 
head of Cayuga Lake, is Taghanie, situated some 
ten miles north-west from Ithica. The most inter¬ 
esting features of tnis spot are the deep ravine 




48 


HISTORY OF PLAGES AND OBJECTS. 


the great height of the cataract, and the beautiful 
view of the lake and country which it presents. 
The water breaks over a table rock and falls almost 
perpendicularly two hundred and fifteen feet. 

Seneca Lake.— At the head of this lake is the 
town of Watkins, noted for its glen. This town 
is situated in a narrow valley, amid a profusion 
of shrubbery, and within the shadow of Buck 
Mountain. 

Watkins Glen.— The entrance to this glen is 
a rude stairway, braced firmly into the rock. We 
then come into Glen Alpha—as it has been some¬ 
what fantastically styled, where a narrow but 
secure bridge across the chasm. One then fol¬ 
lows a narrow, winding foot-path cut out of the 
face of the cliff, until all further progress is barred 
by a transverse walk, over which the waters of 
Long Cascade fall ‘from a great height into the 
dark pool below. 

The Great Adriondack Wilderness, in the 
state of New York, abounds in beautiful mountain 
scenery. It lies between Lakes George and 
Champlain on the east, and on the north and west 
lies the river St. Lawrence. In this rugged por¬ 
tion of the state, iron deposits are often found, and 
the Adriondack Hills are known to abound in 
rich and valuable ores. We will notice but a few 
of the principal scenes of this wilderness. First, 

The Great Indian Pass, which is one of the 
most beautiful scenes connected with that region. 
It is a gorge through the mountain, walled at one 









NEW YORK. 


49 

point by great cliffs, which are so frequent 
amongst the mountain scenery. 

The Seranic Lakes, which are three in num¬ 
ber. The >vaters of each of these lakes are 
several miles in length, and in some places of 
great depth. They abound in numerous and pic¬ 
turesque islands and bays. The shores are cov¬ 
ered ■with beautiful forests of pines of several vari¬ 
eties, and various other kinds of forest trees. 

The AuSable Chasm is near Keesville on the j 
way to the Adirondacks, and is one of the most 
magnificent of chasms or gorges that is to be 
found in the United States. The AuSable river, 
in its passage through the Chasm at the high 
bridge, presents a scene magnificent. The w^all, 
or bank, on either side of the stream, is in many 
places fifty feet high. The river has several noted 
waterfalls. After passing Birmingham it has a 
fall of about sixty feet. At the head of this fall 
it is spanned by a bridge. This bridge is con¬ 
tinually overshadowed by a cloud of spray or 
mist. The winter season presents to view the 
frozen spray upon the rocks, trees, etc., in all its 
grandeur and beauty. The river passes on from 
the last named fall, almost hidden from view from 
above, for nearly a mile. It rushes now r along a 
narrow but natural defile in the rock, in an exact 
and almost perfect course, after w hich it passes 
over a precipice, and darts madly down to the 
bottom of the Chasm, having walls rising vertic¬ 
ally on either side from seventy to one hundred 










50 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

and fifty feet, whilst the width of the charm gen¬ 
erally is from twenty to thirty feet, and in some 
points the walls approach within a few feet of 
each other. ^Natural fissures, narrow and very 
deep, project from the main ravine. The bottom, 
or water of the ravine, is reached through one of 
these openings by means of a stairway consisting 
of over two hundred steps. On coming to the 
bottom of the stairway you come directly upon 
a platform which is separated from what is called 
the Table Rock, by a very deep and narrow chasm. 
One can but wonder, whilst standing upon this 
platform viewing the wonderful works of nature, 
at the great and almighty power of the Creator. 
















CHAPTER VII. 


MASSACHUSETTS. 

Massachusetts is one of the original thirteen 
states of the United States of America, A por¬ 
tion of the state on the upland is naturally not 
very productive, but by careful and laborious cul¬ 
tivation it has been much improved. Generally in 
the valleys, especially the Housatonic and Con¬ 
necticut valleys, the soil is rich and very produc¬ 
tive. The climate near the coast is variable, with 
prevailing winds, especially in the spring season. 
In other portions of the state the climate is more 
pleasant, but in the winter season, in the moun¬ 
tain districts, is very severe. 

Boston, the well known city and the capital of 
the State, was called Boston in memory of Bos¬ 
ton, of England, by the people who settled there 
in 1630, many of whom had emigrated from that 
place. Among the places worthy of notice in the 
city we will mention a few: 

The Public Garden, which is situated in the 
western part of the city, and is separated from the 













HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


52 


common by Charles street. This garden contains 
an area of about twenty-four acres, of which three 
acres are occupied by a pond of irregular shape, 
and spanned by a massive bridge of stone and 
iron. The garden is enclosed with a substantial 
iron fence. It is laid out with irregular walks, 
bordered with flowers and ornamental shrubs, and 
adorned with fountains, vases, and statues of 
bronze and marble. The equestrian statue of 
Washington, designed by Thomas Ball, faces 
Commonwealth avenue, at the westerly side of the 
garden. Also, the statue of Edward Everett, and 
a granite monument to commemorate the discov¬ 
ery of ether, are near the northern side, and in the 
basin of one of the fountains stands a beautiful 
marble statue of Yenus. 


Boston Common, which consists in a public 
park of great and natural beauty. ~No park is 
better suited to the purpose for which it is used. 
A part of the common is devoted to the use of ball 
playing, especially for the benefit of the youthful 
ball players of the city, and also in the Frog Pond 
with its beautiful fountains, the youth are permit¬ 
ted to sail in their little ships unmolested. The 
-deer park is a place worthy of notice, and a very 
popular resort for visitors. The paths are all 
beautifully shaded with trees. The tree known as 
the Old Elm is an object of great interest, as it is 
supposed to be one of the oldest trees in the 
United States. 

Bunker Hill Monument. —This monument 












M A SS ACHUSETTS. 53 

was erected in memory of the battle of Bunker 
Hill. It stands on a small hill near the city of 
Boston, and is two hundred and twenty feet high, 
plainly built of granite stone. Within the monu¬ 
ment is a stairway ascending from the bottom to 
near the top to a window, thus presenting a fine 
view of the country. 

¥ahant is delightfully situated on the shores 
of Massachusetts Bay, and is a rocky promontory, 
the surroundings of which are extremely curious 
and interesting. The views of ocean and inland 
scenery from Nahant are splendid. On this 
famous pinnacle which rises from the ocean, will 
be found the celebrated summer resort, the Mao- 
lis Gardens, from whence views may be had of the 
whole of the eastern shores of Massachusetts Bay. 
Summer houses, shaded piazas, and a restaurant, 
are in the Maolis Gardens for the accommodation 
of visitors. The principal objects of interest at 
Nahant are the Natural Bridge, Pulpit Bock, 
Swallow’s Cave, John’s Peril, and the Spouting 
Horn. Nahant is easily reached by steamer and 
railroad from Boston. There are many other 
places worthy of notice in the state, and near the 
cit} r of Boston, one of which is the well known 
university of Cambridge— 

Harvard College —called Harvard, after Rev. 
John Harvard, of Charleston, who donated to the 
college the sum of eight hnndred pounds about 
two years after it was established. It has long 
since become one of the leading colleges of the 











54 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


I country. The college yard contains upwards of 
twenty acres, and is almost all occupied by the 
numerous buildings connected with the institu¬ 
tion. 

Lowell City, situated on the Merrimac river, 
about twenty-five miles north-west from the city 
of Boston, is next to Boston in point of popula¬ 
tion, and the principal manufacturing town of the 
state. Besides the manufacturing of all kinds of 
cotton and woolen goods, there are extensive 
machine shops, etc., the principal ones of which 
are the Lowell Machine Shop, the Lowell Bleach¬ 
ing Corporation, and the Medical Laboratory, one 
of the most extensive in the United States of 
America. The streets of the city are regularly 
made, and the place contains many beautiful 
buildings. 














CHAPTER VIII. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

The early settlement of Pennsylvania was by a 
number of Quakers, among whom was William 
Penn. In 1661 he obtained from Charles II. an 
extensive tract of land west of the Delaware river, 
in payment of a claim against the government for 
sixteen thousand pounds left him by his father. 
It was named Pennsylvania by the King himself : 
“the woody land of Penn.” 

William Penn was a son of Admiral Penn, who 
had been distinguished by his conquests at Jama¬ 
ica, and memorable achievements during the war 
with Holland. He was born in the year 1644, 
and was expelled from the Oxford University at 
the age of sixteen, for embracing the doctrine of 
the Quakers, after which he was cruelly treated 
by his father, and driven from home, but soon 
afterwards he sent him to travel, hoping thereby 
to change his mind from the Quaker doctrine. 
But after his return, and again hearing a Quaker 
preacher, he became so firm in the belief that all 














56 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

his father’s efforts to change him were without 
effect. A part of the land granted to Penn by the 
King, was at that time settled by a few Sweedes 
and Dutch. Penn, after buying it from them, 
selected the spot for their town—Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia, the leading city of the state of 
Pennsylvania, and properly the first capitcd of the 
United States, where the Declaration of Indepen¬ 
dence was declared and adopted, amid the ringing 
of bells and the joyful shouts of the assembled 
multitude, is now the second city in the union in 
point of population. The site for the city was 
selected by William Penn in 1683, and the city 
was then named Philadelphia, meaning “Broth¬ 
erly Love,” in token of the feeling which then 
prevailed among the inhabitants. Soon after this 
Penn made a memorable treaty with the Indians? 
under an elm tree in the place, called “ Kensing¬ 
ton. The tree was carefully preserved until 1810, 
when it tvas blown down during a terrible storm. 
There has since been a monument erected to mark 
the spot where the tree stood. There, beside the 
Delaware river, the brave Indian chieftains and 
Penn and his followers met to form their treaty. 
“We meet,” says Penn, “on the broad pathway 
of truth and good will. No advantage shall be 
taken on either side, but all shall be openness and 
love. I will not call you children, for parents do 
sometimes chide their children too severely ; nor 
brothers only, for brothers differ. The friendship 
between me and you I will not compare to a chain, 













PENNSYLVANIA. 


57 


for that the rain might rust, or the falling .tree 
might break. We are the same as if one man’s 
body were divided into two parts. We are all 
one flesh and one blood.” 

The Indians believed all the words uttered by 
Penn, and received his presents, giving him in 
return as a token of their friendship a belt of 
wampum. We will live,” repeated the Indians^ 
“ with William Penn and his children in love so 
long as the moon and the sun shall endure.” 
This treaty, I believe, was never broken. 

Philadelphia fast grew in wealth and popula¬ 
tion, and at the death of Penn, in 1718, it had a 
population of about ten thousand. 

Among the old relics of the city at the present 
time we will first notice 

Independence Hall. —In this building the 
Declaration of Independence was adojpted. On 
the 7th of June, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, of Vir¬ 
ginia, moved that these united colonies are, and 
of right ought to be, free and independent states. 
Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, John Adams, of 
Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin, of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, Roger Sherman, of Connecticut, and Rob¬ 
ert r! Livingston, of New York, were appointed 
on a committee to prepare or draft the Declara¬ 
tion of Independence. Jefferson, who was 
appointed chairman of the committee, wrote the 
important document, after which it was reported 
to Congress, and after being discussed and slight- 









58 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


ly amended, it was adopted at 2 o’clock on the 
4th of July, 1776. 

On this memorable day the streets of the city 
were crowded with excited citizens, all anxious to 
learn the decision of Congress. At the old State 
House the bell-ringer had taken his place in the 
steeple at an early hour of the day that he might 
lose no time in announcing to the people that 
their independence was declared, having a boy 
stationed below to give him the signal when to 
ring. He waited impatiently at the long delay, 
but suddenly the joyful shout, “ Ring ! Ring !” 
came from his boy below. Loudly pealed the 
bell, and as loudly were its tones greeted by the 
delighted citizens. The Declaration was signed 
by all the members present, and the thirteen col¬ 
onies, or states, were thenceforth known as “ The 
Thirteen United States of America.” 

Carpenter’s Hall. —This hall is near Inde¬ 
pendence Hall, and the place where Congress 
: first met. In this hall was delivered the first 
| prayer in Congress, by Parson Duche, in the 
| morning after receiving the news of the bombard- 
! ment of Boston, and Congress knew then that 
i war was inevitable. The prayer then offered 
| brought tears to many of the grave and passion- 
| less who were present, and the voices of those 
| who had opposed the opening of Congress with 
prayer, were never again raised for that purpose. 
Philadelphia, at the present day contains a vast 
; amount of beautiful seenerv and magnificent I 

■ ‘.. . ... J 








PENNSYLVANIA. 


59 


buildings, among which are the Girard College 
and Custom House on Chestnut street, the Phila¬ 
delphia Library building on Fifth street, the build¬ 
ing of the American Sunday School Union in the 
central portion of the city, and the headquarters 
of the union. 

Fairmount Park contains nearly three thou¬ 
sand acres of land, being over three times as 
large as Central Park. It is beautifully laid out 
and contains several statues, etc., prominent 
among which is the Lincoln Monument erected in 
1871. On the summit of Lemon Hill is the man¬ 
sion in which Robert Morris had his home during 
the revolution. It is now a restaurant. On an 
adjoining hill is the log cabin which General 
Grant used as his head quarters at City Point. A 
short distance from the Girard avenue bridge is 
the Children’s Play Ground, near Sweet Brier 
Mansion, and from this the road enters Lans- 
downne. The Belmont Mansion was erected 
about 1745. Fairmount Park is certainly not 
excelled in natural beauties. It is to be a public 
pleasure ground forever, or as long as the city 
remains, and under the management of a board of 
commissioners. The great, and most distinctive 
features of the park are its perfect adaptation to 
the purpose for which it is used, its thorough 
rurality, and the breadth and variety of its land¬ 
scape. It would perhaps be very difficult to point 
out a spot anywhere concentrating in the same 
space so many objects of natural beauty and 












I 

.1 

ii 


3 

j 

t 

I 

i 


jl 




60 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

interest; the ruggedness of the rocks, the view of 
the adjacent river and falls, the four reservoirs, 
the numerous fountains, the flowers and the rich 
verdure of the surrounding landscape—all com¬ 
bine to add to the exquisite beauty of the park. 










CHAPTER IX. | 

OHIO. 

The state of Ohio is one of the most prosper¬ 
ous and wealthy of the United States, and has a 
population at this time of about 2,665,260. The 
soil is very productive, producing grains, fruits 
and vegetables in abundance. It has also exten¬ 
sive manufactories, and ranks next to Pennsyl¬ 
vania in the production of coal and iron. 

Cincinnati, which is the chief city of the 
state, is situated on the north side of the Ohio 
river. It is built on a natural plateau, through 
which the river passes. On the south side of the 
river, directly opposite Cincinnati are the towns 
of Covington and Newport. 

This great plain is almost entirely surrounded 
by hills, some of which rise to the heighth of 
three hundred feet. Prom these hill tops can be 
seen a most beautiful view" of the cities, and the I 
notable Ohio river coursing its way in its wind- ! 
ing channel. No other city in the state affords | 
such a variety of scenery. The growth of Cin- 









62 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

cinnati lias been very rapid; her manufactories 
are extensive and various; she is also noted for 
her theological seminaries, medical schools, com¬ 
mercial seminaries, female seminaries and col¬ 
leges. There are under the control of the city an 
Infirmary, a Dispensary, a Lunatic Asylum, and 
a House of Refuge, and many other places worthy 
of notice, but our space will only admit of us 
mentioning a few. 

The Cincinnati Observatory, which is situ¬ 
ated in the eastern part of the city, and is said to 
contain one of the largest telescopes in the union, 
is very beautiful and grand. Cincinnati abounds 
in beautiful parks and fountains of almost unri¬ 
valed beauty and loveliness. 

Cincinnati Fountain.^— This fountain has 
many beautiful features, and is made a place of 
public resort and amusement for the people of the 
city. “ The structure is surmounted by a beauti¬ 
ful figure representing the genius of water, 
through whose outspread hands, extended to 
bless, falls an exquisitely fine shower, like gentle 
rain. Underneath, about the massive pedestal, 
stand four colossal groups, representing the most 
obvious benefits of water—a mechanic on a burn¬ 
ing roof imploring heaven for rain; a farmer 
beside his plow, whose labor will have no fruit 
| without the kindly showers; a young girl leading 
| her sick father to the healing fountain ; # a mother 
| taking her child to the bath. Underneath these 
| groups are four elegant basins, from which 








OHIO. 63 

thirty-six streams of water play into a circular 
mote at the base of the structure. The pediment 
to which these basins are attached is richly 
adorned with compositions in relief, representing 
the uses of water in the most varied forms of 
human industry—as in navigation, fishing, as a 
motive power directly applied in various kinds of 
mills, and indirectly as steam. These composi¬ 
tions are exquisitely finished, and the meaning of 
every design may be discerned at a glance.” 
The Cincinnati Fountain was designed and cast 
in Munich, Germany. 

There are many other places and scenery 
worthy of notice in the state, but our space at the 
present will not admit of any further description. 










CHAPTER X. 


KENTUCKY SCENERY. 

The Mammoth Cave is located in the state of 
Kentucky. The cave is entered from the eastern 
part of Edmonson county, on the south side of 
Green river, and over nine hundred feet above the 
level of the stream, and ninety-four miles south of 
Louisville, being about equal distance from Louis¬ 
ville and Xashville. 

The Entrance to the Cave.— A very few 
minutes walk after leaving the Cave Hotel brings 
us into a deeply shaded ravine. The air here is 
pleasant, cool and bracing. Proceeding on our 
way we come to a yawning chasm about fifty feet 
deep, through which the cave is entered by a 
' descending stairway. Generally, the first emo- 
| tions which are awakened at the first sight of the 
entrance and its surroundings arc not so agreea¬ 
ble as we could have wished. Various kinds of 
shrubbery and climbing vines cling to the pro¬ 
jecting rocks at every point as if striving to cast 









KENTUCKY SCENERY. 65 

some adorning drapery over their nakedness. 

The Waterfall, a very small stream of 
water, pours a ceaseless flow of sil very beads issu¬ 
ing from a shelving rock just above the entrance 
of the cave, and dashes it to spray in the bottom 
of the chasm. Formerly the cave was entered 
farther down the hill near Green river, where it 
may still be entered and explored up to the pres¬ 
ent entrance; being there cut off by a breach 
caused by the new, or present entrance. This 
part of the cave is now known as Dickson’s Cave, 
is about half a mile long, and contains nothing of 
special interest. 

After descending into the cave by the present 
entrance, we come into rocky chambers where the 
temperature of the atmosphere is uniformly about 
59 ° F. The air is exhaled or inhaled through the 
mouth of the cave, as the temperature outside is 
above or below the standard. Generally in sum¬ 
mer, the air being cooler in the cave, a strong 
current rushes outward. In cold weather the cur¬ 
rent sets inward. In the fall and spring seasons 
of the year, when the temperature is about the 
same outside of the cave as it is inside. There is 
I no action or current of air whatever. This nat¬ 
ural phenomenon may well be called the breathing 
of the cave. There is no change of season 
scarcely at all, within the cave the temperature 
always being about the same. 

The Main Cave begins at what is called the 
Botunda—a large cavern at the commencement 









66 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

of the main cave—and is believed to be directly 
under the cave hotel. This cavern is more than 
seventy-five feet high, and about one hundred 
and sixty feet across at the bottom. The main 
cave extends to the distance of five or six miles. 
It varies in width from a few feet up to three 
hundred, and in some places it reaches the height 
of one hundred feet. The course of the cave is 
varied and irregular, having numerous passages 
putting off* from the main cave, and after winding 
passages, communicating with other chambers or 
caverns, often surpassing in grandeur the most 
renowned portions of the main cave. 

About a quarter of a mile from the entrance to 
the main cave there is a second cavern or enlarge¬ 
ment in the main cave, which has a gothic roof, or 
ceiling, spanning the arch some forty or fifty feet 
above the floor. This chamber is somewhat 
irregular, and has an area of several thousand 
square feet. From its size and texture it is some¬ 
times called 

The Church. —At the left hand corner of this 
chamber there is a solid stone platform about 
three feet higher than the main bottom, and wide 
j enough to hold a stand and a few chairs. This 
j is called the pulpit, and no doubt but from this 
: pulpit the story of Christ crucified has been told 
to large and attentive audiences, probably attract- 
| ed there by the novelty of the place, and knowing 
that even in these sunless caverns that underlie 
the ground, the Heavenly Father is ever ready to 










KENTUCKY SCENERY. 


67 

hear and answer the requests of his humble fol- 
lowei's. 

The Giant’s Coffin. —About one mile from 
the mouth of the main cave, and a little to the 
right of the pathway, stands a large rock about 
fifty-seven feet long, being detached from the 
rest and standing up a little from the bottom. It 
bears a perfect resemblance to a huge coffin, and 
any person can see the fitness of the name, 
“ Giant’s Coffin.” 

Echo River is in the interior of the cave, and 
is said to contain fish having no eyes. 

Bandit Hall. —This hall is immediately above 
a small chamber called “ Bacon Chamber,” and at 
the commencement of a small avenue called 
“ Spark’s Avenue,” which leads to “ Mammoth 
Dome.” Here several unexplored avenues branch 
off in every direction. This view represents a 
party of bandits at dinner, and as reviewed by 
magnesium light, exceeds in romantic wildness 
the most extravagant conceptions of Salvator 
Rosa. 

The Pit, or Maelstrom.— This pit, which is 
some distance within the cave, is about thirty feet 
in diameter. Its depth is not definitely known, 
as it has never been thoroughly explored. There 
have been several attempts made to explore this 
pit, but with very unsatisfactory results. In 1859 
an attempt was made by a bold adventurer to 
explore this region by descending into the Pit. 
He descended into the abyss by means of ropes 











68 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

attached to a basket and arranged with pulleys. 
The management and working of the ropes and 
pulleys was intrusted in the care of some young 
friends of the bold and hazardous adventurer. 

Numerous accounts of this descent have been 
published in various forms, one of which I will 
give—a beautiful poem, by George Lansing 
Taylor : 

“Down! down! down! 

Into the darkness dismal; 

Alone—alone—alone— 

Into the gulf abysmal, 

On a single strand of rope, 

Strong in purpose and in hope. 

Lighted by one glimmering lamp, 

Half extinguished by the damp, 

Swinging o’er the pit of gloom, 

Into the awful stillness, 

And the sepulchral chillness, 

Lower him into the Maelstrom’s deeps, 

Where Nature her locked-up 
Mysteries keeps.” 

******* 

As he is descending he comes to a small water¬ 
fall, or cascade, which is described in the follow¬ 
ing words: 

“ But behold from rocky wall, 

Circling round the shaft below, 

Spouts a crystal waterfall. 

All its coarseness, 

And its hoarseness 

When he sees? how fair their source is, 

Vanish, till by aid of vision, 

Sounds infernal grow elysian. 

Now he swings anear the side 





KENTUCKY SCENERY. 


69 

Of this wierd and wondrous tide. 

Where its limpid billows slide, 

And its sheets descending glide, 

Veiled in whiteness like a bride; 

Glistening where his lamp is beaming, 

Sparkling, flashing, glittering, gleaming, 

Like a shower of diamonds streaming, 

From the lap of Nature dreaming; 

Streaming downward, passing quickly, 

Sprinkling now upon him thickly, 

From the fissure far above him, 

As if all the naiads Ipve him 
With so rich a love and tender 
That they shower baptismal splendor; 

Floods of jewels for his visit— 

Is’t a flood ? or is it 
That their kisses almost drown him ?” 

The hero still unsatisfied gives the signal to be j 
lowered— 

“ Into the dark profound, 

A deep that ne’er did plummet sound; 

Still he descends 
And anxious bends, 

Gazing down in darkness that never ends— 

Whose dimness 

******* 

And dreadness 

More frightful are made by his lamp’s sickly redness ; j 
Till checked by sudden shock, 

He stands on solid rock, 

Ninety and a hundred feet j 

From the friends who hold that cable; j 

* * * * * * * 

He enters a hall, 

A huge niche in the wall, j 

Where echoes unnumbered respond to his call 













! 70 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

From a roof that impends 
Where a gallery extends, 

Till, bounded by distance, in darkness it ends. 

^ jjc 5k + 5^: 

Thus he wanders, 

Roams and ponders, 

Through this gallery of wonders, 

Till a rock barrier rising 
To an altitude surprising, 

All across the chamber closes, 

And effectually opposes 
All his efforts to g|t o’er it, 

And he stands repulsed before it, 

Yet he sees the cave extending 
Onward till in distance blending 
With the darkness as if Nature 
Were resolved to hold some feature 
Hidden still from mortal creature.” 

Thus etids this beautiful poem which has 
described the story of the bold hero who 
descended into this fearful and awful abyss. 

The End of the Cave. —This great cave has 
been explored to the distance of nine miles from 
its mouth, but there are still unexplored portions 
of it reaching on beyond, and it is unknown to 
what extent it might yet be traversed. 











CHAPTER XL 


GEORGIA AND FLORIDA SCENERY. 

The Savannah River, the largest stream of 
Georgia, forming the boundary line between 
Georgia and South Carolina, rises by two head 
streams in the Appalachian chain of mountains, 
and near the source of the Tennessee and Hia- 
wassee rivers on one side, and the Chattahoochee 
river on the other. Savannah and Augusta, two of 
the largest cities in the state, are built upon its 
banks. The city of Savannah is about seventeen 
miles from where the river empties. into the 
Atlantic Ocean. One among the many striking 
features of Savannah is the wideness of its princi¬ 
pal streets, abounding with beautiful shade trees, 
and the flower gardens attached to almost every 
resident-house. 

I t 

The benevolent, [iterary and educational inter- 
! ests of Savannah are very numerous and very lib¬ 
erally supported. Among the oldest are the 
Union Society, which is for the support and edu- 
I cation of orphan boys, and the Female Asylum 










72 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

for the care and education of girls, both of which 
were founded in the year 1750. The subject of 
popular education has commanded the attention 
of the most influential citizens of the city, 
through whose exertions a public school system 
has been inaugurated which may justly be pro¬ 
nounced equal to that of any other city in the 
union. The city is not without suburban attrac¬ 
tion, having several places of historical interest 
near it, a few of which are Thunderbolt, White 
Bluff, Isle of Hope, and Vernon, near retreats, all 
being within a short distance of the city, where, 
in the summer months the bracing sea breezes 
and salt water bathing are enjoyed. At each of 
the places are a small settlement and very good 
accommodations for visitors. 

Augusta, which is situated on the banks of 
the Savannah river, and as far up the stream as it 
is navigable for steamboats, was settled about 
two years later than Savannah. It is situated on a 
broad plain bordering on the river. It is an 
important cotton market. Active scenes are wit¬ 
nessed on the river where steamers receive their 
loads of cotton. On Summerville Hill there is a 
United States Arsenal; here during the war the 
confederates built extensive workshops and pow¬ 
der mills, which now is an object of curiosity to 
the visitor. 

Tallulah Falls. —“ The Cherokee word ‘ Tal¬ 
lulah ’ means ‘ The Terrible,' and was originally 
applied to the river of that name on account of its 




GEORGIA AND FLORIDA SCENERY. 73 

j fearful falls. This stream rises among the Alle- 
1 ghany Mountains, and is a tributary of the 
Savannah in northern Georgia. It runs through a 
; mountain land, narrow, deep, clear, and cold, and 
subject to every variety of mood. During the 
first half of its career it winds among the hills in 
! uneasy joy, and then for several miles it wears a 
| placid appearance, and you can scarcely hear the 
j murmur of its waters. Soon tiring of its peace¬ 
ful course, however, it narrows itself for an ap¬ 
proaching contest, and runs through a chasm 
whose walls—about two miles in length—are for 
the most part perpendicular; and, after making 
five distinct leaps, as the chasm deepens, it settles 
into a turbulent and angry mood, and so con¬ 
tinues until it leaves the gorge and regains its 
wonted character. The total fall of water within 
the two miles has been estimated at four hundred 
feet, and the several falls have been named 
Lodore, Tempesta, Oceana, Horicon, and’Serpen¬ 
tine. What they have done that they should 
have been so wretchedly christened, has always 
been a mystery. At this point the stream is 
exceedingly winding, and the granite cliffs on 
I either side vary in height from six hundred to 
| nine hundred feet, while the mountains which 
| back the cliffs reach an elevation of fifteen hun- 
1 dred feet. Many of the pools are large and deep, 
and the rocks are everywhere covered with the 
most luxuriant mosses. The vegetation of the 
whole chasm is particularly rich and varied, for 












74 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

you find here not only the pine, but specimens of 
every variety of the more tender trees, together 
with lichens, vines, and flowers, which would 
keep a botanist employed for half a century. 
Only four paths have been discovered leading to 
the margin of the water, and to make either one j 
of these descents requires much of the nerve and | 
courage of the samphire gatherer. Through this 
j immense gorge a strong wind is ever blowing, ! 
j and the sunlight never falls upon the cataracts j 
; without forming beautiful rainbows which con- i 
I trast strangely with the surrounding gloom and 
horror ; and the roar of the waterfall perpetually 
I ascending to the sky comes to the beholder with 
| a voice that bids him to wonder and admire. As 
| a natural curiosity the Falls of Tallulah are on a 1 
| par with the river Saginaw and the falls of .Niag¬ 
ara. Other striking features of this chasm are 
1 the Devil’s Pulpit, Devil’s Dwelling, the Eagle’s 
Nest, the Deer Leap, Hawthorn’s Pool, and 
Hawk’s Sliding Place, whose several names con- 
; vey an idea of their characteristics, or associa¬ 
tions. After emerging from its magnificent 
! chasm, the Tallulah river runs quietly through a 
beautiful vale, which is so completely hemmed in 
by hills as to be inaccessible to a vehicle of any 

description.” * * 

! : 

I The State of Florida, which is a large 
; peninsula, is situated in the south-east part of the 
| United States, and has a population of about 
! 187,748. The climate is warm, and the state 













GEORGIA AND FLORIDA SCENERY. 75 

abounds in tropical fruits. 

S w A m ps. — There are numerous swamps 
througlfont the state, of cypress and other trees 
I and shrubs, natives of that clime. 

St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United 
States of America, is situated on the Atlantic ! 
| coast on a narrow peninsula, which is formed by 
| the Sebastian and Matanzas rivers. The city, 
j which stands about forty miles south of the 
i mouth of the river St. Johns, and nearly one 
hundred and sixty miles south of the city of 
; Savannah, Georgia. It was founded b} r the Span¬ 
iards in 1565, and has been since that time a place 
of note and distinction. St. Augustine has many 
advantages and objects of great interest which 
she may well be proud of. 

Trees and Gardens. —All the gardens in the 
city are well stocked with trees and flowers, which 
give to the place a grand and noble appearance: 
such as dates, palms, wild olives, figs, guavas, 
plantains, pomegranates, lemons, limes, citrons, 
shaddocks, bergamot, China and Seville oranges. 

The city is built mostly of coquina (a kind of 
stone taken generally from Anastasia Island 
adjacent to the city), and in the Spanish style, 
but there are many buildings in the American 
I style which are surrounded by numerous tropical 
j plants, shrubs and trees. 

i There are many buildings, and objects of beau- 
' tiful scenery within the city, and throughout the 
I whole state. 












CHAPTER XII. 


i 


ILLINOIS SCENERY. 

The State of Illinois has very extensive 
prairies and an exceedingly fertile soil, and is fast 
growing in improvements, and in wealth and pop¬ 
ulation; at the present having a population of 
over 2,539,891. 

This state excels every other state in the 
United States in its production of Indian corn. 
It is well adapted to agricultural pursuits, pro¬ 
ducing grains, fruits and vegetables in great 
quantities. The climate is mild and healthful, 

| especially in the southern part of the state—the 
northern portion being somewhat colder. 

Chicago, the largest and most populous city of 
the state, situated on Lake Michigan, is fast 
increasing in wealth and population, being more 
than once partly destroyed by fire, it still exists 
| as the “ Queen City ” of the state. The city 
| abounds in magnificent buildings and* beautiful 
scenery. 

Springfield, the capitol of the state, is situ- 










ILLINOIS SCENERY. 77 

ated on the prairie near the Sangamon river. 
The place has long been noted for its enterprising 
and talented citizens, some of whom have 
acquired national distinction. 

In 1837 the citizens of the city pledged them¬ 
selves to raise the amount of fifty thousand dol¬ 
lars to secure the building of the state capitol, 
which was soon afterwards built, but the building ! 
becoming insufficient for the wants of the fast j 
growing, populous state, a new state house build¬ 
ing was begun in 1868. 

The JS t ew State House was built of cut stone, 
at a cost of almost $3,000,000. The total length 
of the building from north to south (exclusive of 
the porticos), is three hundred and fifty-nine feet, 
the width of the building (exclusive of a twenty 
foot portico at the east end, or main entrance), is 
two hundred and sixty-six feet. 

Underneath the building is the heating appara¬ 
tus, and room for the storage of fuel. 

The first story—nineteen feet high—contains a 
few offices, but the greater portion of it is devoted 
to geological specimens, stationery, etc. The 
floor being made of marble throughout, is most 
beautiful and grand. 

The second, or principal story, is twenty-two 
and a half feet in height, and occupied by the 
offices and rooms of the several officers of the 
state. 

The third story is forty-five feet from floor to 
ceiling, and contains the halls of the Senate 












78 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


Chamber and House of Representatives, also the ! 
necessary accompanying rooms and offices. 

Above the roof—which is of slate and copper 
—rises the stately and magnificent dome three 
hundred and twenty feet from the earth. 

Springfield contains many objects of interest¬ 
ing scenery. Not far from the city is Oak Ridge 
Cemetery, which contains the grave and monu- j 
ment of Lincoln. The monument is made of 
granite, one hundred feet in height, and adorned 
with four groups of statuary representing the | 
Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry, and Navy. Also, a t 
statue of President Abraham Lincoln and the I 
coat of arms of the United States of America. It j 
is surrounded by a terrace over seventy feet 
square, and about fifteen feet high, on which is 
the obelisk, twelve feet square at the terrace, and 
tapers to eight feet square at the top. On the 
| northern side of the terrace is a projection, the 
catacomb, which contains the remains of Presi¬ 
dent Lincoln, and also tombs for the remainder 
of the Lincoln family. On the south side of the 
terrace is also a projection, called Memorial Hall, 
the design of which is to contain articles belong- ! 
ing to President; Lincoln. The monument is said ! 
to have cost the sum of nearly $200,000. 











CHAPTER XIII. 


MISSOURI SCENERY. 

The state of Missouri is situated near the cen¬ 
ter of the United States of America, is fast grow- j 
| ing in wealth and population. A portion of the j 
state is rough and mountainous. The valley land 
along the rivers is generally very fertile, produc¬ 
ing grain and fruit in abundance. Several valua¬ 
ble minerals are found in this state, the principal 
of which are iron, lead, copper, and coal. Jeffer¬ 
son City, the capital of the state, is situated on j 
the south side of the Missouri river, and is rap- i 
idly growing in population. At the present the j 
state has a population of about 1,721,195. There j 
are many places and objects which abound in | 
magnificent scenery throughout the state, but our j 
space will not permit us to numerate or describe 
them. | 

St. Louis is situated on the Mississippi river, 
about twenty miles below the mouth of the Mis¬ 
souri. The city stands on two natural plateaus of j 









80 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

land, and from twenty to sixty feet above the high 
water of the Mississippi. The city is well laid 
out with beautiful streets, generally crossing each 
other at right angles, and beautified with magnifi¬ 
cent buildings on either side. Among the public 
buildings are the Court House—occupying a 
whole square,—the Center Market, the Custom 
House, the Cathedral, the Churches, the City 
Hall, the Southern Hotel, the Planters House, 
and many other hotels and other public institu¬ 
tions. 

Botanical Garden. —Henry Shaw’s Botan¬ 
ical Garden of St. Louis shows a variety of beau¬ 
tiful scenery of plants and objects. 

Henry Shaw’s Kesidence presents a view 
elegant and grand ; also the interior of the Trop¬ 
ical House, showing the tropical plants, etc. 
Other places worthy of notice are the Tower 
Grove Park, Fair Grounds, Arsenal Grounds, 
Lafayette Park, etc. 

Front Street, which extends along the levee, 
is over one hundred feet wide, on the side of the 
street facing the river. It is built up with mas¬ 
sive buildings presenting a grand appearance 
when one approaches the city by water. 

Franklin Square. —In this square stands the 
statue of Thomas Benton, an object quite inter¬ 
esting and impressive. The silent speaker stands 
with his right hand pointing to the west, and con¬ 
taining the engraved and well known prophesy, 
“The Way to the East;” all presenting an effec¬ 
tive and interesting scene to the beholder. 












MISSOURI SCENERY 


81 


The Washington University, which was 
incorporated in 1853, is an institution of vast 
importance, and intended to embraace nearly the 
whole range of university studies, giving an 
| opportunity for a complete preparation for every 
| sphere of business of practical and scientific life. 

St. Louis Bridge. —One of the great wonders 

of St. Louis is the bridge across the Mississippi, 

i which was completed in the summer of 1874. 

This bridge was constructed under the direction 
1 . ° 

j of the wonderful architectural and engineering 
skill of Mr. James B. Eads, well known for his 
numerous inventions and engineering skill. The 
bridge has three spans, each formed with arches 
of cast-steel. The length of the bridge is 2,046 
fe£t; including approaches, 6,220 feet; length of 
tunnel, 11,100 feet; center span, 520 feet; side 
spans, each 502 feet; height of bridge above high 
water mark, center span, fifty-five feet; side 
spans, each fifty feet. There are two roadways in 
the bridge, the upper one being for carriages, 
horse cars, and foot passengers, the lower one for 
railway trains. 

The total estimated cost of the bridge and tun¬ 
nel is about $10,000,000. 















CHAPTER XIY, 


KANSAS. 

The state of Kansas, which was admitted to 
the Union in 1861, is one of the most productive 
of the western states, has a mild and healthful 
climate, .and abounds in* many interesting and 
beautiful scenes, and is fast growing in wealth ■ 
and population, having a population, according 
to the last census, of about 864,399. The broad 
and fertile prairies are covered with green grass 
and blooming flowers during nearly the whole of j 
the summer season, and in truth sh« may well be | 
called “The Garden State of the West.” The 
face of the country is rolling and well adapted to 
agricultural pursuits. There are numerous 
beautiful mounds in various portions of the state, 
thus affording very pleasant building sites, and 
natural places for observation. 

Topeka, the capitol of the state, is situated on 
the Kansas river, is one of the mpst prosperous 
towns in the state, and rapidly growing in popu- 
lation and commercial importance. 












KANSAS. 


83 


Fort Scott, which is situated in the south¬ 
eastern part of the state, and the county seat of 
Bourbon county, is a place worthy of notice. It 
was first established as a military post in 1842, 
and called Camp Scott. About one year after, 
the government at Washington changed the name 
to Fort Scott in honor of General Winfield Scott. 

In 1854 the troops were withdrawn, and all the 
buildings belonging to the government left in 
charge of an orderly sergeant. In 1855 the gov¬ 
ernment buildings were sold, and the place aban¬ 
doned as a military post. Nothing occurred as 
to the building of a town until June, 1857, when 
a town company was formed, of which George A. 
Crawford was elected president, and George W. 
Jones, secretary. The company succeeded in 
buying claims to the amount in all, five hundred 
and twenty acres. Soon after the purchase of the 
land a plat of the town was made by the com- 
j pany. After the laying out of the town it began 
j to grow rapidly, and now numbers over six thou- 
! sand five hundred inhabitants. It is situated 
near the center of the vast coal fields in south- 
i eastern Kansas and south-western Missouri, and 
; and may properly be called the metropolis of 
! southern Kansas. There are mines of lead, zinc, 
coal, and iron near by. Cement, and mineral 
paint is largely manufactured and exported in 
great quantities. Large quantities of lime are 
burnt. Excellent brick for building and other 
j purposes are made in the vicinity. There are 
I several manufactories in the town, three extensive 








84 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


flouring mills—the most extensive of which is the 
C. W. Goodlander mill and elevator. The Mis¬ 
souri, Kansas and Texas Railway and the Mis¬ 
souri River, Fort Scott and Gulf Railway cross 
here. There are paved streets lighted with gas, j 
two public school buildings, several fine church ! 
buildings, all of which add to the beauty of the 
place. 

The Opera House, which is situated on the 
corner of Main and Wall streets, and built prin¬ 
cipally of brick, is one of the grandest buildings 
in the town, and displays the best of architec¬ 
tural skill. It is three stories high aboveground, 
with a basement eight feet deep under the entire 
building. 

The building is fifty feet wide and one hundred 
and twenty long. The main front is east on Main 
street (which runs north and south), fifty feet 
front; also having a front of one hundred and 
twenty feet to the south, on Wall street. 

The building is owned by Mr. A. C. Davidson, 
and was planned and built by him in the summer 
of 1874 at a cost of about $30,000. The first story 
is composed of three large store rooms and First 
National Bank rooms. One store room, 25x80 
feet, and the main room connected with the 
bank, 25x60 feet, front east on Main street; in the 
rear of these, in the west end of the building, are ! 
the other two store rooms, each fifteen feet in 
width and forty in length, and front south on Wall 
street. 














KANSAS. 


85 


On the second floor is the opera room, which is 
fifty feet in width and eighty in length, and will 
conveniently seat about one thousand persons. 
The stage is in the east end of the room, and is 
22x47 feet. The entrance to this room is by 
means, of a broad stairway starting from Wall 
street on the south side of the building, at the 
south-west corner. 

Directly east of the opera room, on the same 
floor, are two rooms intended for offices, each of 
which are twenty-three feet square. 

The third story contains six rooms which are 
used for dressing rooms for the actors or theat¬ 
rical performers. 

Fort Scott contains magnificent brick build¬ 
ings, and with her rapid growth and many 
natural advantages. She bids fair to soon become 
! the foremost city of the state. 

Kansas Birds. —The most interesting birds of 
i Kansas—some of which are used for food—are the 
prairie chickens, which are very numerous, peli¬ 
cans, storks, king fishers, wild canary birds, 
prairie hawks, crows, magpies, sand-hill cranes, 
ducks, woodcocks, snipes, quails, meadow larks, 
hooting owls, screech owls, red birds, cuckoo, arc¬ 
tic snowbirds, etc. 

There are many places and scenes throughout 
! the state which we would like to’mention, but for 
! want time and space in this work we will have to 
desist till some future day. 



















CHAPTER XV. 


MORMONISM AND SALT LAKE. 

Joseph Smith was the founder of Mormon ism in 
the State of Illinois, where the new creed prosper¬ 
ed for a few years, but the people of the State be¬ 
came hostile to this new doctrine. Smith was 
killed by a mob in 1841, after which Brigham 
Young was chosen pred lent in his place, Brig- 
| ham was born in Whitingham, Vermen , in 1801, 
| after joining the Mormons in Illinois in 1832, he 
! was appointed as elder in the church and in 1835 
he again received an appointment as one of the 
twelve apostles, which office he fillud in the church 
I until after the death of Smithy being then appoint- 
1 ed president or leader of the mormon faith. 

In 1845 he was driven with the church from their 
capital, Xauvoo, Illinois, by force of arms. After 
a long and toilsome journey they arrived in Utah 
| in 1847. It is now twenty-eight years since the 
mormons reached the site of their present capitol. 
At that time they numbered one hundred and 
thirty-nine men and four women. They claim 












UTAH. 


87 


j that they set out on their journey with no definite 
place of settlement in view ; that Brigham saw in 
a vision while on the way a beautiful mountain 
guarded valley, the same which heaven assured 
him was to be their future home. And in coming 
in view of the great Salt Lake, the Jordon and 
Ensign Peak, immediately exclaimed, “ Here is 
the spot.” 

On reaching the place the} 7 immediately knelt 
down and thanked God for his guidance and pro¬ 
tection through their long and tiresome journey. 

Brigham Youxg, Mormonism and Salt Lake 
has been described in the following language, by 
Rev. T. W. Green, who visited Salt Lake a short 


j time since : 

“In the days of the Credit Mobelier investiga- 
! t/ion which reached a revengeful stringency in the 
1 “ free pass” business on the M. P. road, the offer 
| of a complimentary ride from Denver to the abode 
| of the “latter day saints” and return, was too 
: much of a temptation for us, and we thankfully 
j yielded. It was worth $100 in that instance to be j 
able to use the editorial “ we. ” 

The ride from Denver to Cheyenne—some 95. 
miles across beautiful irrigating canals and through 
such model little towns as Evans and Greeley, 
with the ever changing scenery of the “mountain 
panorama in the immediate view to your left, is a 
ride worth mentioning. Everything looks good- 
i natured from the chatty frisky prairie dog to the j 
j wild eyed antelope that stands just beyond gun- j 












| 88 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

! shot and smiles on us as we whirl by. The road 
! is smooth and the engine strong, so that it is real- 
! ly hard to realize that much of the grade is one 
; hundred feet to the mile. 

Cheyenne is not the most pious looking place 
! imaginable, still it is not as bad as it used to be, j 
I so the moral reform citizens say. As indicative j 
of the speed of the place every one calls the me- | 
tropolis of the Pacific “ Frisco, ” it takes too long 
| they say, to pronounce it San Francisco. 

! But along comes the heavy through train from I 
Omaha and you take your seat westward bound ; 
1 in good earnest. In the thirty-two mile ride from ] 

, Cheyenne to Sherman, the road ascends 2280 feet, 
an average of over seventy feet to the mile,—the 
highest point in the world to which the ambitious | 
railroad has yet ascended. (As near heaven as an ! 
j occasional passenger ever ascends). Here you 
| can get a glorious view right into the heart of the 
| old rockies. The ladies insist that the train ought 
| to stop a little longer, and it stops. Women vote 
in Wyoming. 

A couple of eastern gents of scientific proclivi- 
t: es, meantime test the rarity of the atmosphei o 
by extemporizing a foot-race hardly to their satis¬ 
faction, judging from their excessive panting for 
] the next half hour. 

Through fields of grandeur and wildness the 
train rushes down seventy miles, to Laramie ; this 
and Evanston are the only places worth calling 
towns from Cheyenne and Ogden—516 miles. 


















UTAH. 


89 


; During the night you run through the mountain- ' 

I ous dreariness of the alkali fields along the cele- | 
brated Green River, not so inviting a region for 
homesteaders as might be dreamed of by an Illi¬ 
nois or Kansas farmer. 

But in the morning Webber Canyon ! Webber 
! Canyon is worth going all the way there and back j 
blindfold to see. 44 Sentinel Rock, ” 44 The Witch- 
i es, ” 44 Monument Rock, ” 44 The Devil’s Slide,” j 
k4 The Devil’s Gate,” 44 Echo Rock,” and the grand 1 
walls of 44 Old Red Sandstone,” that lift themselves ' 
| up to where the eagle’s scream is scarcely heard, 
are sights that will live in the memory forever. 

Ogden ! Change cars for Salt Lake, shouts the 
train man, and nearly nine tenths of the passen- 
| gers gladly obey him, their places in the train be¬ 
ing filled by a fresh train full just arriving on the j 
j 44 Utah Central.” These have seen the lion of the i 
44 Lion House ” and are ready to resume their 
I journey toward the setting sun. Ogden is a du- 
| plicate of Cheyenne with a gentle touch of mor- 
| monism added. Here the 44 gentile traveler ” be¬ 
gins to look quizically at all the duetts and quar- 
tetts of women who walk the platform in time to 
| a male solo. Having changed to the 44 Utah Cen- 
I tral,” largely owned by the U. P., you at once be- 
; gin to glide down to the south, between the grace¬ 
ful 44 Wasatch mountains ” ten miles to your left 
j and the wondrous Salt Lake with its mountain is- 
i lands rising nearly to the snow line at an equal 
distance to your right. You have conflicting 












90 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


i emotions as you enter this charming strange val- | 
| ley, so soon expecting to confront the less charm¬ 
ing and still stronger institutions of a strange j 
people. These scenes of almost more than nat- j 
urai loveliness, can hardly rivet your gaze ; for j 
you keep thinking “ this is Mormonland ; here j 
j King Brigham wields the sceptre of an autocrat. I 
The first one who says “ mormon ” out loud is a j 
delightful little blonde, about six years old, dress- j 
| ed most daintily, her head and shoulders covered j 
with a wealth of sunny ringlets. In answer to 
the slightly impertinent question, “ who are you 
she says “ I am a mormon, who are you ?” Did 
Old Brigham send her out on a proselyting mis¬ 
sion among the incoming passengers ? we wonder- j 
ed. To have her travel the 39 mile route from 
Ogden to Salt Lake, to talk as bevvitellingly to ; 
all the passengers as she talked to us, woukl be an j 
advertising dodge worthy of old Brigham himself. I 
She was surely the very poetry of Mormonism if j 
mormoni&m ever turns to poetry. 

We are at Salt Lake. No one with half an eye I 
for the useful and beautiful can be in the place 
ten minutes without being convinced that Brig¬ 
ham had a most sensible vision when he saw, as j 
he said, the valley of the great Salt Lake and the I 
site of the future New Jerusalem spread out be- j 
fore him, and wished to see nothing else. After ! 
so much that is dreary even to the palace coach | 
traveler. Nature has fully redeemed herself. She 
has more than atoned for the waste alkali regions j 










UTAH. 91 

j in this now fertile and sunny valley of the Great 
j Salt Lake, encircled with the graceful Wasatch 
; Mountains, with their endless variety of views? 
and crowned the year round with their spotless 
coronets of snow. These mountains run as 
straight as the railroad, from Ogden to Salt Lake, 

| then gracefully curve a few miles further to your 
| left, and again run straight to the south limit of 
the valley, some sixty miles from the city. In 
this friendly elbow, with mountains four miles to 
j the north, ten miles to the east, sixty miles to the 
south and twenty miles to the west, and the lake * 
| six miles to the northwest, lies the city of Salt 
| Lake, 600 miles from Denver and nearly 3000 feet 
i above the ocean, the peerless gem of the middle 
| mountains. As Dean Stanley says of the Penin- 
I sula of Mt.^inai, that it “ combines the grand 
j features of earthly scenery ^ the sea, the desert and 
! the mountains*” #so the landscape before you is 
similarly rich in the elements of grandeur, though 
so far as the lake and plain are concerned, so ton¬ 
ed down as to make a picture of ail much beauty 
j as grandeur. 

The marvelous lake is one of the most promi- 
j nent as well as attractive features of the land- 
| scape, the residue of a once vast inland sea, the 
| shore line of which is plainly cut on all the moun¬ 
tains about, full 100 feet above the present lake 
level. 1ST ear the mouth of the “ Jordon 55 which 
rises in Utah Lake, 50 miles to the south and emp¬ 
ties into Salt Lake, at the corner nearest the city, 












92 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


the water is 15 per cent salt, while out a little 
I from the shore it is 26 per cent. Rain water is I 
: the purest of all water, then river water, then 
| fresh-water lakes, then the Baltic and the sea of j 
| Azof, then the ocean, then the Mediterranean, 

! then the Caspian and Aral, then Salt Lake, then 
the Dead Sea, last the lakes of Elton and Urumia. 
The water of the ocean is four per cent salt, Lake •] 
26 per cent, that of the Dead Sea 26J, and that of j 
Lake Elton, which is on the Stepper east of the j 
! Yolga, and supplies a great part of the Salt of j 
Russia, probably the most Saline body of water j 
in the world, contains 29 per cent salt, so that i 
next to its Syrian prototype, and lake Elton, Salt | 
Lake is the saltiest body of water on the globe, j 
more than six times as salt as the ocean. “ There 
are no fish in the great Salt Lake. The only liv¬ 
ing thing beneath its waters is a worm about one 
fourth of an inch long. This* worm shows up j 
beautifully beneath the lens of a microscope. 
When a storm arises the worms are driven ashore 
by thousand^, and devoured by the black gulls. 
The water is remarkably buoyant. Eggs and 
potatoes float upon it like corks.” Unless you I 
w^ash off in fresh water after taking a float, it ! 
can hardly be called a swim, the salt crystals soon j 
sparkle all over your body. It’s a short hand 
method of having an “ Ethiopian change his 
skin” for him to bathe in Salt Lake. “ The sen¬ 
sation of swimming,” says one, “ was novel.” The 
water was so salty that my eyes and ears began 














UTAH. 


93 


1 


to smart, but so buoyant that I found no diffi¬ 
culty in floating even when the air was exhausted 
in mv lungs. As I struck out for the beach I felt 
as light as a feather. In spite of all I could do 
my heels would fly out of the water. I found it 
impossible to stand upon the bottom. The densi¬ 
ty of the water and the surging of the waves, 
forced my feet from under me. A person who 
could not swim might easily be drowned in five 
feet of water. His head would go down like a 
lump of lead, while his feet would fly up like a 
pair of ducks. The water is as clear as the water 
of Sceneca Lake, New York ; so clear that the 
bottom could be seen at the depth of 20 feet. The 
mormons occasionally visit the lake in droves for 
I the purpose of bathing. Many of them say that 
their health is improved by leaving the salt upon 
their bodies, and dressing without wiping them¬ 
selves with towels.” The shore is even and grav¬ 
elly, and often a high wind and hot sun is covered 
an inch or two deep with the purest of salt. The 
high mountain islands rising almost perpendicu¬ 
larly out of the bosom of the lake add another 
charm to this great natural wonder. 

Now let us take a birdseye view of the city. If 
any one supposes that it is a flat, dull, filthy, sick¬ 
ly, broken-down, monotonous, poverty stricken, 
accursed, alkali-looking place, the fitting, forlorn 
abode of a hopeless Providence punished people, 
let him prepare to be undeceived. * The facts are 
against him. It is four miles square. It is laid 


j 












94 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


out by the points of the compass, the streets thus j 
crossing each other at exact right angles. Every 1 
j street is 128 feet wide, and is lined with two.rows 
of trees its entire length, many of these trees being 
now 28 years old, having been set out when the 
mormons first began the herculean task of con¬ 
verting this far distant wilderness into a garden. 
Down one side and generally down each side of 
each street, flows a beautiful stream of mountain ! 
water clear and cold. The site of the city slopes j 
evenly to the south and west. The streets are all j 
supplied from “ City Greek ” which descends fresh ! 
and cold from the mountains to the northeast of 
town, and which does not vary in volume the year | 
round. The hot springs just to the north of the ! 
city are huge affairs. One of them full of sulphur 
and other medicinal minerals comes out of the 
rocks nearly as large as a mans body and strong 
enough in smell and volume to turn a respectable 
saw mill. It advertises itself far and near by 
loading the breeze with its rich perfume as well as 
by its clouds of steam. 

The dooryards in Salt Lake City are orchards, 
or at least gardens on a good scale. The blocks 
cover nearly ten acres each, apples, peaches, pears, 

I prunes, plums, quinces, cherries, besides all the 
j smaller fruits enrich the yard of nearly every 
j house, no matter how small the house may be. 

| Salk Lake has few sidewalks and no pavements. 

I It needs neither. The clean sand and gravel, j 
worn smooth and hard as Nicholson by years of 














UTAH. 


95 

I travel are btetter than either. People afoot cross 
j the streets and walk the streets anywhere. Neith¬ 
er snow nor rain—the latter of which falls very 
! seldom, but the former every month in the year, 
keeps the ladies in-doors. The mud is only wet 
sand, being packed so hard as to be wet simply on | 
the surface. 

But let us step into a street ear and ride down 1 
East Temple Street, to the “ Walker House ” with 
its Philadelphia brick front, and its lace curtains 
up even in the fourth story windows, Its Brussels 
carpeted halls as well as rooms, its mahogany fur¬ 
niture and finishing Reminds you of the old YLin- 
dell ” in St. Louis, so does its $4,00 a day fare. ! 
You say to yourself, “ I am not out of the world.” j 
After leisurely looking over the telegrams in the 
evening paper, while waiting for your supper you 
step out into the street, and read by gas light the 
handbills announcing the coming of Jno. B. 
Gough and Willson. u Still in the world.” You 
think to yourself. You return and take a glance ; 
at the hotel register. You are astonished as I was ; 
when I saw on one page of the Walker House reg- : 
lster names from San Francisco, NfeW" York, Lorn- j 
don, India and China. This is the great “ gentile” 
house. I have no doubt that*the register of the 
celebrated “ Townsend House,” the headquarters 
of the Mormon traveling public can show as great 
and varied a foreign patronage. So far you hav£ j 
seen nothing and heard but little to remind you of !■ 
| the close proximity of the peculiar institution. 







9t5 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

_ ' ’ _ - I 

But in the morning as you go wandering up the 
beautiful street, your eye catches the words in 
gilt letters, “ Holiness unto the Lord/’ They are 
emblazoned on a huge sign board in a semicircu¬ 
lar arch over a gilt representation of the all-seeing | 
eye, underneath still in gilt are the cabalistic let¬ 
ters “Z. C. M. I.” While pondering over the in- j 
terpretation you see the same huge sign and de- i 
vice over the next store, and the next, and the next, 
representing the different trades till you are sur¬ 
prised to find that one whole block in the center 
of the city is presided over by the genius of “ Z. 
C. M. I,” the full translation being, “Zions Co- j 
operative, Mercantile Institution.” The profane 
gentiles call it “ Co'-‘op” for short. What is the ' 
meaning of all this ? Why Brigham found out 
that his subjects were trading at gentile stores, 
and that his tithing house was not being replen¬ 
ished with one-tenth of the proceeds of their trade, 
so he formed the “ Z. C. M. I,” a huge Co-opera- 
; tive concern. Shares down to $10 each, within 
reach of the herd of poorer mormons, and* besides 
j secured a representative for every branch of trade. 

| All good mormons took shares of course, and of 
course they now trade at the stores which secure 
their capital stock from the “ Z. C. M. I.” The 
result is as Brigham knew it would be, and de- 
I termined it should be. The “ Co ’-‘op” makes 
over one tenth of its profits to the treasury of 
| fhe “ established church.” As I stood and watch- I 
ed tradesmen and farmers fill their great covered j 













UTAH.: ' 97 

_ • 1 

| wagons with goods of every description from 
reaping machines to baby wagons, from side-sad¬ 
dles to side meat. I was impressed with the 
shrewdness of old “ Brigham,” in securing* to him¬ 
self this immense source of revenue, it increased 
my desire to see him. I was in a good mormon ; 
mood of admiration—an important condition in 
vishing, and hearing the most in visiting the fa¬ 
mous “ Lion house.” Of course we had not £*one 
on a 1303 mile trip to and from the head center of 
i mormonism without providing ourselves with let- 
! ters of introduction to President Young. (What ; 
| a relief it was to our gentiles consciences that we 
j were not expected to honor him with the • title of 
i Reverend). According to previous arrangement 
j five of us, with the anti-mormon proportion of two 
ladies and three gentlemen, went to the reception 
room of Brigham Young. The room is a kind of 
connecting link between the famous “ lion ” and 
u bee hive ” houses—so called from an emblematic 
lion over the portico of the one,.and a bee hive 
surmounting the cupola of the other. These 
houses are large and substantially built of stone, 
plastered on the outside and painted yellow, ma¬ 
king them resemble the mansions of Southern gen¬ 
tlemen of means and leisure? They stand on high 
ground in a conspicuous part of the city, are about 
forty feet apart with the one story tithing office 
and business reception room situated between. j 
The tithing office is never profaned by a gentile j 
foot. The reception room is furnished in a sub- ! 



















98 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


| stantial manner, the walls being covered with por¬ 
traits of the founders and apostles of the Church 
of the “ Latter Day Saints.” 

Let me read from my private Journal : “Call¬ 
ed to-day, April 1-lth, 1873, on Brigham Young, 
in company with Mr. and Mrs. H., and Mr. and 
Mrs. O. He dismissed his other visitors as we en¬ 
tered at the hour appointed, and received us quite j 
graciously. After a few simple questions and an¬ 
swers Mr. H. remarked that he had had a conver¬ 
sation with Bishop Wooley the day before, which 
was Sunday, on the evidences of con verson, and 
; that the Bishop had agreed with him almost en- ! 
tirely. • ^VVith a wink of the eve Brigham remark¬ 
ed that the question was whether the Bishop agreed 
with him or he with the Bishop. Mr. H., then 
I gave a brief account of the work of God in Iowa 
and Colorado during the winter in connection with 
his labors. This was a part of our programme, 
as we had learned by inquiry that the surest way I 
of drawing him into a free conversation was not 
to ask him questions, but to enter at once upon 
some topic of conversation that would be partly 
the nature of news and hypothetically of interest 
to all and especially to him, at any rate this plan 
had the desired effect* During this simple recital 
j of the turning of so many “ Gentiles ” from the j 
error of their ways, the President of the tri e ; 
Church sat somewhat uneasily, showing his impa- j 
tience by nervously rubbing his temples with 
thumb and finger. As soon as he had a chance i 










UTAH- 


99 


| he remarked with a wave of the hand, his elbow 
i resting on the round table by which we were sit- ; 

, ting, that no man or set of men in the world could 
* teach him anything in regard to revivals. He 
then gave an incident in the experience of his j 
j Brother Joseph. They were standing together 
| under a tree near a camp-meeting in Ohio, when | 
an Englishman came up beoind him and simply ! 
tapped his brother on the shoulder with one finger. 
He fell to the ground dead to all appearances and 
there lay for half an hour. "When he came to, I 
said to him, “ Brother Joseph, what did you see ?” ! 
“ Nothing.” What did you hear ? Nothing. 
Then will you please to tell me the utility of going 
into such a trance. He could not. Now when a 
person goes into a trance I expect to hear some¬ 
thing when he awakes.” The mormons he thinks 
have improved on the trance business. He then 
defined “ conversion” a word that had been pre¬ 
viously used in the conversation—to be “ the dis¬ 
placing of error with truth.” All men he said are 
partly sceptics, all men are partly Christians, all 
men are partly converted. He ended this part of 
the conversation by saying to Mr. H. and O., you 
are partly converted.” I think he regarded the 
undersigned as principally sceptical. “We-are 
| persecuted ” he continued—what magical power 
there is in that word “ persecuted ”—not because 
of any peculiar view or doctrine we hold, or any¬ 
thing peculiar we practice, but because we are so 
i unfortunate as to believe in Jesus Christ. No 









100 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

church or body in the world believes all the Bible 
hut the “ Latter Day Saints.” When he was a j 
Methodist he was blamed, he said, for never giv¬ 
ing any young convert advice as to what Church j 
to join ; he could not for he did not believe that j 
any of them held the whole truth. But now the j 
case was different. His.prayer from boyhood had 
been that he might be preserved from embracing 
any system of religious truth till he was old en¬ 
ough to judge of it independently for himself. 
This prayer was answered, lie was twenty-three j 
years of age before he experienced any change of j 
religious nature. He said that at that time he took ! 
a “ relish ” in prayer, in reading the Bible, in the I 
society of Christians, etc. This was also accom¬ 
panied with a new distaste for dances, theatre go- j 
j ing and the like. These confessions were mildly ! 



j then gave his definition of the-phrase “ preaching 
to the spirits in prison,”—preaching to anti-mor¬ 
mon souls that have left the earth, the departed j 
mormon spirits do this. Baptism for the remis¬ 
sion of sins is a literal business according* to Brie*- 
ham. To give you an example picked up outside 
of our conversation with him, “ Reformation Year” 
marks an era in the history of Salt-Lakeism. 
Brigham came out with a pungent catechism con¬ 
taining such questions as these : “ are you • an 
adulterer ?” are you a murderer ? Then followed 
definitions of these sins as searching as those of 
the Savior himself. These catechisms were circu- 



















UTAH. 


101 



lated among the apostles and all the lower orders 
of teacher £. They were made the text hook for a 
season in all the a w^rd meetings^- ? A > “ward- 
nice ting” in Salt Lake, is a religions meeting. 
(A ward meeting in New York City, for instance, 
is not always a religions meeting). When this 
catechising had been .carried on long enough Brig¬ 
ham appointed a day for public,examination. Af¬ 
ter an impassioned harangue, and Brigham knows 
how to make such—he said, ^ Let all of you who 
are guilty of adultery, all who are guilty of steal¬ 
ing, all who are guilty of murder arise.” There 
was a general uprising. Prophets and apostles 
arose, the result of,an enlightenment of the.pub- 
iic conscience.* Of course a, panic of .suspicion 
arid suspense followed. But Brigham prpwed 
himself .equal .to the emergency. He at once Is¬ 
sued a proclamation for a day of general baptism 
for the remission.of sins. The appointed day ar¬ 
rived. Multitudes came from all quarters and 
were baptised of him in the,river,of Jordan, con¬ 
fessing their sins, or having confessed them hy 
rising. Baptism for the dead, he told us, was 
I something just as literal. Y r our friend dies put- 
| side of the Mormon fold. He goes.to hell. There 
is no other alternative for all such, .You take 
pity on him and.go audaire baptized for.him. This 
instantly releases him from his purgatorial prison. 
“ Thus,said lie,” one of the .chief,occupations of 
tlie. saints in the Milienium will he the . gracious 
work of submitting to baptism day in and day 









102 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

out for the recovery of souls of dead Gentiles.” 
I did not tell him that I thought that death must 
have a most salutary effect in increasing the love 
of the Mormons for lost heretics, or else their gra¬ 
cious work for them would be the most delightful 
of Millennium occupations. 

“ I have one advantage over you,” he further 
continued. We were elated to think it was nar¬ 
rowed down to one. What is that ? “I have 
the key by which to unlock the right use of world¬ 
ly things,” and what is that ? u I regard all 
I things in the w r orld as belonging to God, so that 
whether I buy a farm or lay out a garden or su¬ 
perintend the building of a temple, I do it all for 
Him, and nothing contaminates my spirit. Some 
people have called me avaricious. The truth is 
no man that lives or ever lived, Christ excepted, 
cares less for money than I do, gold ! Why, I 
have carried it till my back ached—and it would 
take a big load to make his back ache. “ I have 
had bars of it as long as that—stretching his arms 
apart. “ I don’t care any more for gold than for 
the dirt I tread on in the streets. I know how r to 
use it.” Which of course was saying in the most 
annihilating way, “ you don’t know how to use it.” 
The imputation was more just than he thought, 
and the prospect now is we never shall know how 
to use it, for a very obvious reason. Brigham has 
j a marked physique, big, heavy, thick-necked, 
broad-shouldered, he must exceed 225 lbs in 
weight, his face is not without marks of intelli- 











UTAH. 103 | 

gence and thought. His lips go together like a ! 
steel trap, his chin is fearful ; it sticks out toward 
I you like a threatening rock in an angry sea. His 
nose like himself is solid and heavy. If such 
signs are indicative of will power then Brigham 
has enough to serve the whole Mormon federation. 
Some of the Mormons have reason to think it 
more than answers every purpose. As a matter 
of fact he holds the consciences of 150.000 people 
in a vice-like grip. He is not a scholar, far from 
it. He is not an orator. He is not’ much of a 
: statesman. He is a good deal of a politician. He 
is much of a sensualist—this of course. But it 
| is not his chief characteristic. He is still more a 
| man of affairs—everything he touches turns to 
gold, they all say, but chiefly is he a man by birth 
and by education, inordinately ambitious of wield¬ 
ing the power of an autocrat. He is a born ruler. 
His will is supreme law to himself and to every¬ 
body with whom he is associated. He must be j 
obeyed, nothing must, nothing scarcely can, stand ! 
| in the way of his will. His penetrating, selfish, 

! cold, gray eye ; his steel trap lips ; his imperious j 
; chin all tell the same story. If men can be most 
j easily controlled by playing upon their religious j 
! sensibilities, then control them from a religious j 
! stand-point, but control them some way and by 
j some means. Such is his practical creed. Hav¬ 
ing shaken him by the hand and bidden him good 
morning, let us step out, pass through the door 
in the high stone wall that surrounds his houses, ; 














j 104 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

and see some of the tangible proofs of his execu¬ 
tive ability. 

The Tithing Houses are the mormon pecuniary, 
head-centre of city and territory ; these too are 
surrounded by a similar high and massive Avail. | 
But we will go through this open door. The back 
yard is .very spacious and is fitted up with barns i 
and lodging houses for the convenience of those 
who come a long distance by team, as many do, 
bringing one-tenth of their products of farm or i 
factory. In the tithing houses you will see stored 
away with greatest order tons of articles of man¬ 
ufacture and produce. There is incessant activi¬ 
ty in receiving and disposing of all this. There 
is no cheating on the part of the voluntary tithe- 
bringers. Is the mormon conscience brought t.o 
such a state of perfection ? you ask, noLaltQgeth- 

er. That big bundle of telegraphic wires running I 
into Brigham’s private tithing office to which w ; e ! 
referred; and connecting with every hamlet in the 
Territory is a mortal terror to any who attempt to 
play Annanias and Saphira. He.knows.at oneefif 
a farmer or mechanic starts from home with less 
than one-tenth of his stuff; and Mr. Tithe payer 
knows it, too, sooner than is pleasant dor them. 
Thus applied science infringes on religion ; elec¬ 
tricity helps morality. This tithing business is a 
great success. Brigham says so, and he knows. 
Look at that immense Doric Building over yon- 
! der. It is the. Salt Lake Theatre. It is quite an i 
; imposing looking building, it will seat 3000 per- j 










UTAH. 


105 

sons. This is its history : Brigham found years 
ago that his subjects were becoming uneasy. 
There were no places of public amusements. There 
were no concerts nor any place for holding them. 
They don’t have everything in their churches as 
we ^rthodox Christians have. It was too far off 
and isolated for the circuses, being before the 
day oT Railroads. So he put his workmen at the 
job of 'building a theatre. Bushels of tickets 
were issued, as soon as the ground was broken for 
the foundations, as pay to the workmen and they 
got their money by retailing them to the “ Gen¬ 
tiles.” Brigham happens to own the building but 
the dear people are amused and happy over their 
theatrical advantages. Strange* to say although 
Brigham lost his taste for such amusements fifty 
years ago he has a private box finely cushioned off 
| and of amplest dimensions. There almost any 
night you can see a squad of from six to ten of 
his wives and from twenty to thirty of his older 
children sitting bewitchingly all in a row. Its no 
trouble to tell Brigham’s girls. ~No matter how 
brunettish their mothers may be, they all have his 
clay colored completion and his sorrel hair. He 
1 has also a private school-house near the “ Bee 
Hive House,” capable of seating from fifty to 
seventy-five persons. It is full, was, even so long 
ago as we were there. But occasionally one of 
| Brigham’s schemes is not quite so successful as 
I the “ Z. C. M. I,” the theatre and the Tithing 
houses. Several years ago he wanted to facilitate 












106 history\>f places and objects. , 

the bringing* of stone from the quarries, 14 miles 
off, for the building of the temple. The water of 
the Cottonwood could $e easily brought around 
back of the city in a canal that would float barges 
of stone. It was a big job to dig a canal five feet 
deep, twenty-five feet wide and fourteen miles 
long. But an opportune, vision confirmed the 
faith of the wavering. A proclamation was*made j 
that all who would work on the canal slum Id be 
blessed in this life and especially in the life to 
come. The labor was forthcomi ng. The big j 
ditch was at length dug. The day of inaugura¬ 
ting it arrived. It was a gala day in* the city. | 
President Young with a long train of apostles, 
prophets, bishops, wives, &e,, with banners and 
music proceeded to the city terminus of the canal 
to welcome the water of the Cottonwood. The 
.speech of congratulation was made, in which he 
did not fail to confirm the blessings already pro¬ 
nounced on the faithful shovel and pick brigade. 
The order was given, “ Let the water of the Cot¬ 
tonwood flow into Salt Lake City. 75 But the wa¬ 
ter did not flow. They waited. Still it did not ! 
flow. Suspense ! something must be the matter. 
Something was the matter. One end of the canal 
was found to be twenty feet higher than the other 
only it was the wrong end. The source of it ! 
away up at the Cottonwood was found to be that ! 
much lower than the terminus of it, and the water I 
would not flow up hill even at the command of a ! 
prophet, apostle, bishop and president*all in one. | 










UTAH. 


107 


I 




But Brigham did not wilt. He withdrew himself 
from.the people the rest of the day, but the fol¬ 
lowing day he came forth parading all his presum- 
lions as confidently as ever. The engineers name 
is Smith. The wicked Gentiles distinguish him 
from the other Smith’s in Salt Lake by calling s 
him “ Uphill Smith.” 

Patiently the canal lies there to-day ready to 
receive proposals from any stream of water that I 
will consent to flow up hill. We rode along be¬ 
side it and took a good laugh at Brighams and 
Smiths expense. But if you will drive a short 
distance you will come to what is a success. 

The Tabernacle is a marvel, its form is an eclipse, 
its size is 150x250 feet, with a deep gallery run¬ 
ning all around the room. The floor descends 
nine feet from the front door to the pulpits, of 
which there are three, one above the other. The 
room is sixty feet high in the middle and is cover¬ 
ed with the largest self-supporting roof over any 
audience room in the world. The building is con¬ 
structed on Acoustic principles, the pulpits being 
at one of the foci, so that it is nearly as easy to 
speak in as this building. It is a little larger 
than Spurgeons Tabernacle ; it will bold 7000 peo¬ 
ple. The devout Mormons say it will hold 13000. 
Buit it will do no such thing. We carefully esti¬ 
mated its seating capacity. The building is soon 
to be lighted with gas and heated with steam. 
At present there are no provisions for either. The : 
three barrels of water in front of the pulpits, from j 










108 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

the outside the structure looks like a monstrous 
whitewashed mud-turtle. 

But the great Organ must not be omitted, it is 
the largest American made organ in the world, its 
depth is twenty-five feet, its front thirty feet, its 
height forty-eight feet. Everything about it was 
made in Salt Lake ; trees were cut in the Moun¬ 
tains, the logs were sawed in the city, out of 
which all the wood-work was made, from the play¬ 
er’s stool up to the heads of men of musical re¬ 
nown, that look down from the summit and preside 
over the melodies within. It is being built, for it 
is not finished, though it has been used in all the 
services of the Tabernacle for five years, by a 
young foreigner, only twenty-six years of age. 
His home and workshop are a corner of the taber¬ 
nacle curtained off close by the side of his great 
creation. Here he stays and works, without vaca¬ 
tion, month in and month out. He has been at work 
at it six years already, and here he sleeps. Here he 
lives. He asks for no society other than that of 
his cherished organ, to which he is so religiously 
wedded. We were invited into his sacred work¬ 
shop and home. We saw his lathes and chisels, his 
diagrams and models and keyboards and much of 
his finished and unfinished work. His bread and 
butter and blankets come from the common fund of 
tithing houses, but his reward comes from gazing 
into the face of his responsive organ with its sym¬ 
pathetic case, the whole, the creation of a soul fill¬ 
ed with divinest melodies—in sitting low before it 












UTAH. 


109 

and evoking its harmonies, in listening to its heav¬ 
enly notes, now thunder deep and strong and now 
sweet and gentle as the far off shepherd’s lute, 
and in thinking of the prominent part his grand 
organ will hold in the future services of the Tab- 
! ernacle, when he shall have passed beyond the en¬ 
chantment of its marvelous music. 

But the Temple is the centre of the Mormon’s 
pride and hope. It is not intended to take the 
place of the Tabernacle which is complete in it¬ 
self and designed exclusively for religious assem¬ 
bles. The Temple will be the “ Endowment 
House ” and much more on a magnificent scale. 

It will be the headquarters of all the secret cere¬ 
monials of the church. It is only about six feet 
above ground, but has cost already $1,000,000. 
The foundations go down seventeen feet below the ! 
surface and into the solid rock. The earth is all 
! removed from within the foundations. The walls 
are seventeen feet thick. It takes 30,000 cubic 
feet of stone to raise the walls one foot, and yet 
they are to raise to the height of 100 feet above 
ground, and the main tower 225 feet. Brigham 
and a young fellow who never received any in¬ 
struction in the art of designing buildings prepar¬ 
ed the plans which call for an imposing edifice in¬ 
deed. Of course the religious inference is that 
the young architect is inspired. From fifty to sev¬ 
enty-five men are constantly at work either pre¬ 
paring the stone or laying them in the massive 
walls. At this rate it will take five hundred years 















110 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

longer to finish the structure. You can’t insult a 
Mormon sooner, however, than by intimating that 
it will never be completed. But then the fire that 
is to devour the elements is to make an exception 
in favor of the Mormon part of Salt Lake, so that 
they will have all eternity in which to finish it, 
and there will be the same use for it in eternity I 
that there would be in time—just about. In this | 
is to be a throne on which Christ is to sit during 
his millenial reign and govern the nations of the 
earth. But how about the social influence of 
mormonism : The surface of society is generally j 
smooth. Sometimes four or five wives in the same 
home have a little spat. Not unfrequently the I 
four wives free and accepted object out loud to the 
inauguration of the fifth. There is considerable 
simmering in the social tea-pot. Occasionally 
there is a little broiling over. "While we were in j 
the city a young mormon maiden was audacious 
enough to marry a gentile youth. They were nice 
looking and certainly knew how to be polite as 
we can testify, for we took tea with them, but they ! 
loved each other and dared to get married. The 
mother of the bride could not stand it, and she 
did not stand it. She went into what the acrobats 
would call the exercise of “grand and lofty tum¬ 
bling.” She would rather kill her daughter with 
her own hands than have her marry a man whose 
soul crime consisted in not being a member of the 
Mormon establishment'. She broke open the door 
of the bridal chamber with her feet and invaded 











UTAH. 


Ill 

the room in the small hours, pouring a bottle of 
hair dye over her daughters dress, and tearing up 
things generally.- Butin spite of such maternal' 
warnings the Mormon maidens do not try to con¬ 
ceal their partiality for the Gentile youth, and why 
should they when they possess so much higher | 
type of manhood than the mormon young men ? j 
But is there no fear on the part of the non-mor- 
i mon inhabitants of Salt Lake City ? No ! why 
should there be ? There are 16000 inhabitants in 
the city opposed to polygamy, and who would hail 
its abolishment, as the Africans hailed the abol¬ 
ishment of slavery, to about 8000 avowed mor¬ 
mons. The odds are too great, public sentiment 
i is growing more outspoken every day. To the 
law-abiding, life and property are as safe in Salt 1 
Lake to-day as in Boston. Of course the near 1 
sight of Camp Douglas also has a pacifying effect j 
on the Mormon authorities. I did not see a reel- j 
ing man or a street fight while X was there. The 
number of outside doors a mormons house has in¬ 
dicates the number of wives the owner of the ! 
premises rejoices in. There is a house with four 
outside doors, that man has four wives, the observ- 
) ing ones w ill tell you. One house I saw had eight 
outside front doors, Each wife thus has her own 
section of the house and can come and go without 
molesting any other wife. The Mormon Schools 
are indifferent affairs w holly taught in the interest 
of Mormonism. 

But how about Mormonism religiously ? It is 

















112 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

difficult to answer. Mormonism is a curious com¬ 
pound of Catholocism, of Orientalism, of Maliom- 
edanism, of O. T. Theocracy badly perverted, 
with some parts of the Gospel teachings, and a 
little of Free Masonry by way of passwords, signs, 
etc. 

The “Bloody Sacrifice” was until quite recent¬ 
ly a practical part of Mormonism. A sadly sug¬ 
gestive comment on Mormonism is that when it is 
abandoned, (those abandoining it not becoming at 
the time converted to Christ,) the mind is left in 
an utterly skeptical mood. Nothing is sought, 
nothing is wanted, nothing is taken in its place. 
Such persons believe all religions a cheat. For 
instance, you are struck with the number of lame 
men in Salt Lake. They have come from differ¬ 
ent parts of the world on the promise of being 
restored to soundness, one of these particularly ! 
attracted my attention. His paralyzed leg was to 
have been restored through the miraculous power 
of the Mormon Apostles. He came and reminded 
them of their promise, they held a council of war. 
He could have his choice, they would favor him 
with the miraculous cure, but in that case he would 
have to submit to the monstrosity of a three-leg- 
| ged body for all eternity. He w T as either intimi- 
| dated at the prospect, or saw through the cheat, 
at any rate he told the dignitaries that they need 
not trouble themselves any longer. He would con¬ 
tinue to hobble through the rest of his mortal ea- ! 
| reer. And there he is to-day, but he does not 














UTAH. 113 

think much of religion in any form. We visited 
the Mormon cemetery; it is situated a few miles 
^ northeast of the city on. an elevated plateau over¬ 
looking the city, lake and plain, and forming one 
I of the most fitting and impressive spots for a cem- 
I etery ever beheld. The view is grand. The 
stillness and repose of the place is awe-inspiring, j 
The friendly, silver-mantled mountains stand j 
around it like guardian angels, bestowing holy 
repose upon the dead. A cemetery is an inde^ 
of the religious faith of those who commit to its 
keeping the bodies of their friends. Mt. Auburn 
and Greenwood would be impossibilities in India 
or Africa. The faith the gospel inspires in the 
immortality of the body, leads to a tender and 
graceful regard for the remains of the dead. The 
body is an essential part of the man, and although 
I it is to decay, it is to.be gathered by invisible fin¬ 
gers in immortal vigor and beauty, The decora¬ 
tion of the grave, and the adornment of the home 
of the dead are tributes to the superiority of the 
gospel over all other religions. 

The Mormon cemetery is a dreary place. !No 
trees or graceful shrubs, or fragrant flowers re¬ 
lieve the drear monotony. There are only two 
stones in the entire enclosure, which has been 
used for burial for a quarter of a century, that 
approaches the dignity of a monument. But 
there acres of little graves, not much more than a 
a yard in length, with uniform headboards, many 
of them without so much as the initials of a name, 












114 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

j giving to the whole place much the appearance 
| of the “potter’s field.” I was sickened and re- 
l pel! ad at this product of Mormon ism. I said to 
myself that I would not put too fine a point on it, 
but surely there must be some radical defect in a 
religion that witnesses the death of such a majori¬ 
ty of infants, and the birth of such a majority of 
females,that makes so light a thing of human life, 
and is so neglectful of respect for the dead; for 
our estimate of the dead is the estimate of the 
living. Polygamy is a fatal foe of the race. Chil¬ 
dren born of it die before their time; they are 
robbed before their birth of needed vitality, it is 
at variance with the fundamental laws of our be¬ 
ing. The Salt Lake Cemetery is a sickening proof 
of it, Vico President Colfax was hopeful that 
Brigham would abolish polygamy in the light of a 
new revelation, as he had added it to Mormonism 
by virtue of a revelation; but no sooner had he 
bidden adieu to the polygamist in chief than 
polygamy received a frelsh impetus by the exam¬ 
ple of Brigham, who brought the number of his 
regular wives up to sixteen, besides the four or 
five score of his “sealed wives.” Sealed wives 
are for all eternity; in time they often belong to 
other men. Brigham’s breakfast table presented 
a touching moving spectacle. While we were in 
the city, at the table were arranged eighteen high 
chairs all filled with Youngs I What is the out¬ 
look and w r h at is the remedy? Materially, there 
can be no doubt of the future of Salt Lake City. 












• UTAH. Hi 

j it is an isolated city, 603 miles frofti its nearest 
, rival, Denver. It is a self-supporting’ city. Be¬ 
fore the era of railroads the inhabitants were com- 
i pelled to supply themselves with the necessaries 
ol life; paper mills, woolen mills, flouring mills, 
saw mills, and many lesser but necessary manu¬ 
factories were established. A more independent 
place it is hard to find. Almost every article 
needed in the modern household is matje in the 
city. The result is a city that can live and con¬ 
tinue to flourish whether the outer world keeps 
up its connection with it or not. With a popula¬ 
tion of 25,000 already, and with such sources of 
growth in the highly cultivated valley, and in the 
mountains, whose mines have just begun to be de¬ 
veloped; with one of the finest climates in the 
world, and with a lake that holds in its bosom 
more genuine tonic than all the patent medicines, 
in the world,there can be no reason why Salt Lake 
City may not become one of the largest inland 
cities on the continent. The only hindrance to 
its continued prosperity is polygamy; the upas 
tree that spreads its deadly blight on city and 
Territory. One,might as well say that Mormon- 
ism itself is now that blighting, baneful influence, 
for, like the Siamese Twins, the death of one will 
undoubtedly be the death of the other—the death 
j of polygamy, the death of Mormonism, their ex- 
j istence is so vitaly intertwined. Shall, then, Mor- 
| monism be attacked in the name of the public 
! weal; in the name of the victims of a great super- 









116 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


stition; in the name of the thousands yet unborn, 
who must inherit degradation, social, civil and re¬ 
ligious, if Mornionism is permitted to exist? 2sTo, 
attack it not. Opposition, which is always "defined 
as persecution by the opposed, can never eradi¬ 
cate this monstrous evil. Persecution is its fat¬ 
tening food; give it no more of this. Its history 
since the 2s T auvoo trouble ought to satisfy the can¬ 
did mind that such is not the method w r e must 
adopt for its eradication. Unlike the giant evils 
of slavery and intemperance, Monnonism is a part 
and an important part of the religion of the Salt 
Lake “Saints.” Oopposition killed slavery, for 
although it strove to vindicate itself from the 
pages of the Revelation, it was not. an integral 
factor of the religion of the slave owner. Perse¬ 
cute the hideous monster of intemperance in like 
manner, for although it too would strive steal 
sanctity from scripture example and precept, in¬ 
temperance is not an article of any religionist’s 
creed. It may be opposed without raising the 
cry of religious persecution. But not so with 
polygamy. Men hold to it.with fanatical zeal, 
as a dictation of heaven. Can it endure the an¬ 
tagonism of railroad, and telegraph, and free ideas, 
and free schools, and free speech, and free press, 
and free ballot, and of enlightened consciences and 
Christian homes? Xever. Especially as rich, 
new life is continually flowing into city and Terri¬ 
tory from the four corners of the earth. Tile srhost 
of an unnatural life; debased and debasing product 









UTAH. 


117 

of a fanatical, degenerate conscience, it must slink 
into eternal darkness at the rapid approach of 
God’s bright light. Let it alone; only bring 
it face to face with a better, higher purer civiliza¬ 
tion and it must die. It carries the seeds of its 
own destruction. Nature’s curse rests upon it; 
man’s curse rests upon it; the curse of the Al¬ 
mighty rests upon it. This triple curse it cannot 
long endure; it will soon be numbered with the 
j things of the past, to be remembered only to ex- 
| cite strange wonder and disgust. The verdict of 
! the nineteenth century; the verdict of Jehovah is 
already pronounced against it. Its days are num- 
! bered; the handwriting on the adamantine wall of 
! Right stands out in terrifying distinctness against 
it. Some radical change is evidently impending. 
The very air is full of the tokens of it. Brigham ! 
can’t last much longer; he is growing old and fee- | 
ble; his hand trembles; he is seventy-three, and 
when he dies Mormonism will be thrown into con- 
i fusion over the election of his successor. Even if 
he takes time by the forelock, and begins at once 
to install, by degrees, Brigham Jr. in his place, 
which is the old polygamist’s remaining ambition, 
a fierce conflict between contending and aspiring j 
aspirants could not be averted the moment he j 
dies; for such men as G. Q. Cannon, Orson,Pratt, j 
lleber, Ivimball^Jr., and others of like character, ! 
never will submit to the imperious control of the 
great, fat, lubberly, easy-going representative of j 
the house of Young, as “Young Brig.,” which j 











118 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


Mormons and Gentiles alike call him. These 
natural leaders can hardly be brought to bend the 
knee to “Young Brig.” Such a position as that 
of president of the Mormons is too great a prize 
for any among equals to sieze without causing 
a panic of hatred, disappointment and jealousy 
among the rest. No other has the prestige of 
Brigham; no one else could have taken the leader¬ 
ship of a forlorn band of outlawed refugees, cut 
them away through a well nigh trackless wilder- 
| ness, over one thousand miles, and conducted them 
into the promised land, then a barren,lonely land, 

; but has been made to resemble the garden of the 
! Lord. 


i 


. 


! 


Brigham has all the elements of a peerless 
Christian among such a people; just enough 
knowledge, just enough ignorance, just enough 
goodness, just enough wickedness, enough frank¬ 
ness, enough deceit, enough cautiousness, enough 
rashness, enough shiggishness,enough enthusiasm, 
enough modesty,enough .conceit, enough humility, 
enough presumption, enough enterprise, enough 
daring, enough executive ability, enough energy, 
perseverance and revenge, enough #f>hinx-like 
impenetrability, enough success, enough early 
persecution, enough defiant audacity, enough 
lust of power and lust of the flesh. fie is an an¬ 
omaly, no less than his system. There can be no 
adequate successor to the author and defender; 
apostle, prophet and priest of Salt Lake polyga¬ 
my. When he dies, it dies. In the language of 


. 


: 














UTAH. 


119 | 

_ I 

another, “the death blow to Mormon rule was • 
struck by the first pick that broke the soil for the 
Pacific railroad.'’ The resignation of the promi¬ 
nent civil offices its great leader has long held, is 
a virtual surrender of the situation. Further, in 
confirmation of my view, that Mormonism is self- 
doomed and soon to pass away, or forever to re¬ 
linquish polygamy, at least, let me read you this 
j sentence from (fen. O. E. Babcock’s private re- 
; port, made to the Secretary of War, after several j 
weeks spent in quiet personal inspection of the j 
| peculiar institution: “Mv opinion is that a poli- I 
j ey by which the institution they cling to with fa- I 
natieal faith, shall be brought against public j 
j opinion, will be the one that will soon cure the ! 

evil and save our country all the elements of good j 
; citizens they possess; while a coercive policy, will j 
in accordance with the history of the world, in- j 
: crease the fanaticism and destroy all the industry j 
: and wealth of 150,000 people, and return that now j 
fruitful v alley to a desert again,”, 

The mills of the gods grind slowly. For twenty- 
five years Salt Lake City has been building and 
Mormonism taking root; but during all this quar- 
I ter of a century the influences have been quietly 
gathering force which will surely annihilate 
it. The hands on the dial-plate of Time never 
turn backward. 











CHAPTER XV r. 


MONTANA NATIONAL PARK. 

A part of the beautiful valley which is near the 
headwaters of the Yellowstone river, in the terri¬ 
tories of Montana and "Wyoming, was set apart 
by the Congress of the United States in 1872, 
to be kept as a public park or pleasure ground for 
the benefit of the people, and to be under the con¬ 
trol of the Secretary of the Interior. The scenery 
of the park is very beautiful, possessing many of 
the beauties of nature. The principal rivers pass¬ 
ing through Montana are the Yellowstone, the 
Missouri and their tributaries. 

The Yellowstone possesses a vast amount of 
the beauties of nature, but as yet the scenery of 
the Yellowstone is comparatively unknown, hav¬ 
ing not been fully explored until the year 1870. 

I The Yellowstone rises in the Rocky Mountains 
! and empties into the Missouri; its headwaters, 












% CALIFORNIA. 


121 


which are surrounded by lofty mountains covered 
with pines, are only aceessable from Montana.— 
From the source of the Yellowstone to the Missou¬ 
ri it has a descent of over 7,000 feet, its waters 
flowing through deep canons and gorges, forming 
great cataracts and rapids, thus presenting some 
of the grandest scenery in nature. Some of the 
most wonderful scenes of the country are the mud 
volcanos or geysers. The Lower Canon, where 
the water is forced through a narrow gorge,which 
can be seen from the top of the precipice. 

The Great Falls are near the head of the one of 
the most remarkable canons; through rocks nearly 
fifty miles in length, and from near one to five 
thousand feet in depth. The river at this fall and 
canon descends nearly 3,000 feet, 









CHAPTER XVII. 

CALIFORNIA. 

The State of California is one of the most health¬ 
ful and productive of States. It has the finest 
climate, the most fertile soil, and the clearest 
skies; the mildest winters, especially in the val¬ 
leys. The rains begin generally in October; the 
grass is green in the valleys during the whole 
winter. About the middle of April the rains 
cease and dry weather continues until the fall 
rains cofne in October, thus giving the husband¬ 
man dry and beautiful weather for gathering his 
harvest. A greater portion of the farming lauds 
of the State lie in the valleys. The^ Sacramento 
valley is about forty miles in width, reaching on 
west to the Coast Range, and on the Sierra Xeva- 
da. This valley is an immense, far-rectehing plain j 
containing about 5,000,000 acres of fertile land, 1 
muctfof which produces fine crops the driest years j 
without irrigation. 











CALIFORNIA. 


123 


The San Joaquin Valley also contains some 7,- 
000,000 acres ef the best and most productive land 
in the State. The soil is rich and very easily cul¬ 
tivated ; the climate is such that the sub-tropical 
fruits as well as the cereal grains can be safely 
and very profitably raised there ; by irrigating the 
land, farmers will always be sure of a good crop, 

| One great advantage to farmers who settle on 
such land as the San Joaquin Valley land is, that 
the land is ready for the plow as soon as he has 
purchased it. There is no shrubbery or under 
brush to be cleared away, for it is already clear of 
obstacles and ready for cultivation. Some per¬ 
sons who have visited Southern California believe j 
it to be the finest part of the State, and the best ! 
region*in the United States for farmers. The 
farmer should, in the region here described, plant j 
orange, lemon, almond and many other sub tropic- | 
al fruits, which do well there, but will need irri¬ 
gation in the dry season of the year. Where the 
farmers irrigate their land it will produce two 
good crops of grain each year, which can be done 
at very trifling cost, compared to the great bene¬ 
fit derived from U. 

San Francisco is one of the pleasantest and 
! most romantic sights in all California. That 
noted hotel the Cliff House, will be likely to be 
1 the first ^topping place for the traveller. Then is j 
to be seen the Chinese and Japanese shops, which j 
contain a great variety of curiosities for sale at ail j 
prices, from a few cents to several hundred dol- j 












124 • 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


lars; also at Woodward’s gardens a great variety 
of wild animals, natives of California. On the 
coast is to be seen numerous sea lions; those mon¬ 
strous creatures are certainly very curiously and 
wonderfully made. 

Most of the pavements of San Francisco are 
smooth and made of wood; the city is approached 
from every side over the very best of roads; these 
roads are generally macadamized, and mostly 
achieved by private enterprising individuals.— 
You can easily find the streets devoted to the 
Chinese, which are very near to the centre of the 
city. Sacremento, Dupont and several other sts. 
are open to visitors, but very few of their merch¬ 
ants are able to speak or understand English. 

San Francisco or Golden Gate Harbor— 
This is the safest and best harbor on the Western 
coast of Yorth America. It is a securely land 
locked bay with water of ample depth, good an¬ 
chorage, and well sheltered by the surrounding 
hills from violent winds and storms. The entrance 
to this harbor is through a strait nearly five miles 
in length and one in width, and is called the Gol¬ 
den Gate. 

Farallone Islands, which are near the Gol¬ 
den Gate, consist of seven in all, the nearest of 
which is about twenty miles west from the • Gol¬ 
den Gate; they are all entirely destitue of soil and 
vegetation, abounding in rugged rocks, which 
form a resort for numerous sea lions and vast 
numbers of birds. On the largest of these islands 









CALIFORNIA. 


* 125 


! and the one nearest to the coast is an elegant 
! lighthouse, made on purpose to warn the mariner 
I of* the danger of the locality. A few years since 
; was discovered on this island a spring producing j 
water which is of a pale amber color and pleasant j 
! to the taste, possessing certain important medical j 
qualities. 

Y os emit f Valley. Of all the great sights 
; of the State which attract the great and increasing ; 

number of travellers, from year to year, from all : 
! parts of the globe, the Yosemite valley is the one : 
| most admired and most remarkable. The Yo- 
| Semite valley was given by the United States 
; government to the State of California to be used 
j and preserved as a National Park. At this park 
j is to be seen the most beautiful mountain scenery. 

It is inclosed with walls of rocks on either side, 

! numerous mountain peaks, and waterfalls in great 
| numbers, all of which give variety and interest to 
j the wonderful scenery connected with the valley. 

| The highest and principal mountain peaks are: 
Mount Star King.5,600 feet high, j 


i Cloud’s Rest. 

.6‘034 

“ # | 

j Cap of Liberty. 

...4,000 


j South Dome. 

....4,737 

1 

j North Dome. 

.3,568 

u 

I ^ft; Watkins. 

.3,900 

<( 

1 .Glacier Rock. 

.3,200 

“ ! 

j Washington Column... 

.1,875 

“ j 

Royal Arches. 

...1,800 


Ummo,(Indian name- 

-signifies lost arrow) 3,000 

j 

Sentinel Dome. 

.4,500 

i 

| Sentinel Rock. 

.3,043 

“ 

1 























120 * HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

___ i 

Three Brothers.*. 

..3,830 feet high, j 

Union Rocks. 

.3,503 

u 

El Cfi nt.n i n . 

.3,300 

u 

Cathedral Rocks.. 

.2,660 

u 

Cathedral Spires... 

.1,800 

u 

PR INC IP A L W ATERFAU.S. 


The large, or combined Yosemite 

Falls, 

are 2,- j 

634 feet in height; separating them, 

we have what j 

is called the 

First Yosemite Falls.. 

..1,600 feet high-. ! 

Second Yosemite Falls. 

. 600 


Third Yosemite Falls. 

. 434 

a 

Bridal Veil Falls. 

. 630 

u 

Cataract Falls... 

. 300 

u 

Vernal Falls. 

. 350 

*' 

Sentinel Falls... 

.3,000 

u 

South Fork Falls. 

. 600 

u 

Nevada Falls. . 

. 700 

u 

Royal Arch Falls. 

,.1,000 

u 


! The Yosemite received its name after a. tribe of 
j Indians of that name, who once inhabited that 
part of the country. About the year 1850 or ’51 
these Indians were hostile, and were pursued by 
a body of whites into this valley, hence the dis¬ 
covery of the valley and the many wonders it 
possessed., The measureless inclosing w all; gray, ; 
brow r n and white rocks, darkly veined from sum# j 
mit to base with streaks of falling water; hills 
almost perpendicular, yet studded with tenacious 
j firs and cedars; and looking from the summit of 
j the surrounding peaks down deep into the valley 
—the beautiful green grass and the Merced river, 




























CALIFORNIA. 


127 


with its apparently pigmy trees-^all bursting up- j 
I on the beholder at once, he can but wonder at and 
| adore the wonderful works of the Creator. 

El Captain, which is to some the grandest 
sight in the valley, is on the north side of the val¬ 
ley, north of the Merced river. The rock mount- ■ 
ains are the great features of the Yosemite. The j 
nine granite walls, which range in altitude from 
: three to six thousand feet in height, are the most 
striking examples on the globe of the masonry of 
; nature. There are a great many objects of great 
i interest connected with the Yosemite valley which 
we will not attempt to describe. The valley is 
j near the center of the State, north and south, is 
j about eight miles long, east and west, and nearly 
I two miles wide, north and south. It is nearly 
| level, and almost a mile in depth below the general 
level of the surrounding country. The Merced 
| river, passing through the valley, has several 
branches emptying into it, which necessarily 
must pass over the rocky walls surrounding the val- j 
' ley, thus producing the several waterfalls. 

The most attractive objects in the State are the 
groves of big trees and the grand scenery con¬ 
nected with them, The Calavaras grove contains 
the tallest trees in the State, hut they are not so 
great in diameter as the trees of the Mariposa 
grove. The Calavaras grove is composed of about 
one hundred or more large trees, one of which 
was twenty-seven feet in diameter; it was felled 
j some years ago by boring with long augers; after 

i ____ - .. ., . . . . ..L 











128 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

being entirely cat off, by means of these augers, j 
the tree being so large and standing nearly 
plumb, refused to fall until it was thrown off its 
balance by driving wedges on one side. So the ! 
workmen prevailed and the mammoth tree was 
prostrated to the ground. This tree was carefully 
examined to ascertain its age, and according to 
the rings or growths of the tree, it was found to 
to be 1,2 55 years old. One other, seventy- 
six feet in circumference, was sawed down, and 
after examining its growths, was found to be 1,- 
j 936 years old. About the average height of the 
; trees in this grove is three hundred to three hun¬ 
dred and fifteen feet. 

The Mariposa Grove. —After leaving the 
Yosemite Valley, going to the south on the Mari¬ 
posa road, you will come to the Mariposa Grove, 
which is about fifteen miles south of the valley.— 
j This grove contains the largest trees in the 
j United States, and I doubt whether it can be sur¬ 
passed in the known world as a grove, for beauty j 
and magnitude. Some of the largest trees are j 
from eighty to as high as ninety-one feet in cir- j 
cumference. One tree, which stood in this grove, j 
is now prostrate and partly destroyed by fire, was 
one hundred feet in circumference, This tree is 
believed to have fallen more than one hundred 
years ago, and a*portion of it still lies there, the j 
mammoth monster of the grove. 


The bio* trees are nsnallv -rorl 1 
















CALIFORNIA. 


129 


species af cedar, abounding in the State. The 
particular species in the vicinity of the Yosemite 
| Valley have been named Sequoia Gigantia .— J 
These trees grow principally in groves or small ; 
patches, of which there are a number of principal I 
ones. 












CHAPTER XVIIL 


ENGLAND. 

The well known and ancient dominion of Eng¬ 
land, which is in the eastern continent, is so well 
known that she heeds but little comment. The 
country is very thickly settled ; the population is 
about 17,000,000. The climate is generally very 
temperate, not being subject to the great extremes 
common in so many countries. • 

The Great City of London, is the most pop¬ 
ulous, wealthy and commercial city in the world. 
The city is very closely built and presents to one 
looking over it from some elevated position, a 
solid mass of buildings. It is more than nine 
miles in length and six in breadth. The popula¬ 
tion is some over 3,000,000. The river Thames 
which passes through the city is nearly 1,000 feet 
w ide and is spanned in thirteen different places by 
arched bridges. The city is adorned with many 











ENGLAND. 


131 


I 


[ 




large and beautiful parks and public squares con¬ 
taining-fountains and statues. 

The Tower of London, which consists in a 
group of buildings, warehouses, prison-like edi¬ 
fices, armories, towers and barracks, all forming 
one grand and 'impregnable fort. It contains, 
within the walls of the tower, about twelve acres. 
There are a great many interesting facts in histo¬ 
ry connected with this tower. Here were, at one 
time confined several kings, Sir Walter Raleigh, 
Sir Thomas Moore and Archbishop Cranmer; also 
the distinguished individuals, Lady Jane Gray, 
Queen Catherine Howard, and many other noted 
personages, all of whom were slain in the walls 
of this great tower. 


Crystal Palace. —This great and renowned 
palace is situated a few miles south of London. 
The building is nearly 1,600 feet long, 380 in 
wudth, and about 200 in height. It contains a 
nave and three transepts with arched roofs, made 
principally of iron and glass. On the sides of the 
nave are sculpture and architectural work of dif¬ 
ferent countries. In other departments are seen 
various industrial products, pictures, works of 


art, etc. 

i #. The park and gardens are very extensive and 
beautified with flowers and other plants. The 
stone balustrades, sculptures and terraces are all ; 
very grand. 

Houses of Parliament. —These great build- 
ings cover an area of about eight acres. They j 











132 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

contain 1,100 different apartments, has 100 
staircases and upwards of two miles of corri¬ 
dors. In the building is Westminister Hall; the 
House of Peers; containing the Throne; also the 
hall of the house of Commons. 

The Buckingham Palace, which is at or near 
the west end of St. James Park, is a very costly 
building constructed for the residence of the- 
Queen and her attendants. 

Windsor Castle.-TMs great and grand struc¬ 
ture is situated in the center of the town of Wind¬ 
sor about twenty miles up the Thames from Lon¬ 
don. It has been the seat of British royalty for 
several centuries. This castle was founded many 
years ago by William the Conqueror. There are 
many beautiful scenes connected with the castle 
and the town. Among the most attractive are j 
the terrace upon the summit of the ronnd tower; 
the royal stables, the finest in all England; the 
corrider, which is five hundred and twenty feet j 
long, is adorned with marbles, pictures, etc.; the j 
State rooms, which are fitted up in superb style, j 
and the mansions, gardens, parks, statuary, etc. ( 












CHAPTER XIX. 


SCOTLAND. 

The country of Scotland abounds in beautiful 
scenery. The face of the country is varied, gen¬ 
erally rugged, and the tillable portion of the soil 
is not very fertile. 

Abbotsford, which is well known as the old 
home of Sir Walter Scott, is situated upon the 
j banks of the Tweed river. There are several very 
elegant rooms connected with the building, viz., 
the main hall, the dining hall, the drawing room, 
the library and the study; the study being the 
most noted room, as it contains the library of Sir 
Walter Scott, which consists of about 20,000 vol¬ 
umes. 

Ben, or Mount Xevis. This is the highest 
land elevation in Scotland, it being about 4,460 
feet above the level of the sea. The town of Ba- 
navie is situated about eight miles from Mount 











I 134 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS, 

t - - -- 7 

I Nevis. The canal passing Banavie contains sev- 

! eral locks near the town, and also a variety of 

| 7 

] other scenery. 

Drummond Castle. —This castle is built in 
the eastern part of Scotland, and was once the res¬ 
idence of the noble family of Perth. In front of 
the castle is a beautiful flower garden, adorned 
j with various flowers, shrubs and ornamental 
| trees, all of which present a very grand and beau¬ 
tiful appearance. 

Sterling Castle.— This castle is built upon 
| the summit of the sloping hill on which the town 
| of Sterling stands, and from the castle can be seen 
the distant surrounding hills and the river Forth, 

! winding its way far beneath the castle; also the 
1 Abbey Craig is in view, which is next to the 
| “Heading Hill,” a place used years ago as place 
| of public execution. 

| “The sad and fatal mound, 

That oft has heard the death ax’ sound. 

As on the nobles of the land 

Fell the stern headsman’s bloody hand.” 

Balmoral Castle, which is situated near to 
the river Dee, and but a short distance from the 
town of Balater, is a very grand and interesting 
place, abounding in beautiful scenery. 

Melrose Abbey. —This abbey is situated 
about three miles from Abbotsford, the home of 
Sir Walter Scott. Melrose Abbey was once the 
first specimen of gothic architecture in the do¬ 
minion of Scotland. It was built some time be¬ 
fore the sixteenth century, but is now in ruins. 








SCOTLAND. 


135 


Formerly it containd statues of our Savior and his 
apostles and John the Baptist; also^nany sculp¬ 
tural works of animals, &c. 

Glasgow, one-of the principal cities of Scotland 
is situated on the river Clyde and is noted for its 
commercial importance. Some of the most attract¬ 
ive scenes in the city are the Glasgow Bridge, 

! Which spans the Clyde, having seven arches. 

George Square.— The largest public Square 
in the city, adorned with several beautiful monu¬ 
ments. Argyll street and the Gallowgate which 
generally forms the main thoroughfare, is gener¬ 
ally densely crowded and presents a variety of 
beautiful scenery. 

Edinburg, which is built upon a group of sm^ll 
hills and presents to view many romantic and 
beautiful scenes, is the center of the educational 
interest of Scotland. The Monument of Sir Walter j 
Scott is one of the most beautiftl works of art in ! 
all England. The superstructure is supported by • 
four grand arches. It has an inside staircase ex¬ 
ending from the bottom to the top,in height about 
two hundred feet; around the monument are sev¬ 
eral statues representing some of the prominent 
characters in Siy Walter’s novels viz. Prince 
Charles with drawn sword, Meg. Merrilies in the 
act of breaking the sapling over the head of Lucy 
Bertram; the Lady of the Lake in the act of pass¬ 
ing from the boat to the shore; and the Last Min- j 
strel represented as playing on his harp &c 














CHAPTER XX. 

IRELAND. 

The island of Ireland is known to contain about 
31,874 square miles, the highest mountain, or 
land elevation, is that of Carran Tual, which is 
3,414 feet high. The population of Ireland is a 
little over 5,000 000. The climate is less liable to 
severe cold than some of the surrounding coun¬ 
tries, on account of its close proximity to the At¬ 
lantic ocean; the average, or annual temperature, 
being about 50° Fahrenheit. 

Kilkenny Castle. —This castle stands in the 
old town of Kilkenny, and is remarkable for its 
interesting relics and beautiful surroundings.— 
The castle is built on an elevated point of land 
and from it can be seen a grand view of the sur¬ 
rounding country. It has been enlarged and ad¬ 
ded to several times and is now almost a new 
building. 


\ 







IRELAND. 


137 


Giant’s Causeway. —This view shows what 
would seem to be the works of art; the old ancient 
fable is that a former race of giants, who inhabit¬ 
ed the country, had undertaken to build a bridge 
across the channel from Ireland to Scotland, but it 
is generally supposed, by the geologists of the 
present day, to be the works of nature. 











I 


CHAPTER XXI. 

TURKEY, GREECE AND CHINA. 

Constantinople. —This beautiful city is sit¬ 
uated in the Turkish Empire in Europe and stands 
on the bank of the sea of Marmora. The city con¬ 
tains some very grand scenery. 

The Mosque, Constantinople. In this view is 
to be seen the beautiful Mosque on the banks of 
the Bosphorus, near the new palace. A general 
view of the new palace and the Bosphorus can 
be had from the west. 

City of Athens, Greece, —This is one of the 
principal and most noted cities of Greece. It is 
situated about five miles from the sea coast, and 
contains a vast amount of interesting scenes, but 
our space will not permit us to describe them. 

Canton, China. —This great city of China is 
on the left side of Canton river and about 70 miles 
from the sea. It is built irregularly, the streets 








TURKEY, GREECE AND CHINA. 


139 


being narrow and crooked. The poor class of 
people live in mud huts along the canal. No 
carriages are used in the streets. The nobles are 
borne by their attendants in sedan chairs, very of¬ 
ten taking up the whole of the street. Canton 
has about 125 temples, 15 high schools, and 30 
colleges. The city is surrounded by a wall seven 
miles in circuit, which has twelve gates of en¬ 
trance. 

Pekin, the capitol, is situated in the north¬ 
eastern part of the Chinese Empire. It is the 
most populous and the most ancient empire now 
existing on the earth. The city is about one hun¬ 
dred miles from the northern sea coast. Its popu¬ 
lation is estimated at more than two millions of 
people. It is next in size to the city of London, 
which has a solid block of buildings six by nine 
miles, compactly built, except the streets inter¬ 
vening, and also extending over a vast amount of 
space outside of the solid part of the city. Pekin 
has an entire area of twenty-seven square miles, 
in which is included much vacant space, and the 
circuit of its walls is about twenty-five miles. In 
these walls are sixteen gates, and over each gate 
is a watch tower nine stories in height, loopholed 
fpr cannon. The city contains many beautiful 
parks and gardens, and when it is looked upon 
from some considerable elevation, a large part of 
it seems to be a beautiful forest. The city is di¬ 
vided into two parts, having a wall between them. 
One of these is known as the Northern, or Tartar 












140 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

city, and the other is known as the Southern, or 
Chinese city. Each of these has its subdivisions ; 
one of them, in the Tartar city is called the “Pro¬ 
hibited City,” and is surrounded by a yellow wall 
about two miles in circumference, which shuts in 
the palaces, pleasure gardens and temples of the 
Sacred City. In this is “Keen-tring-kung,” 
which means the “Tranquil Palace of Heaven,” 
the Emperor’s private palace, and the most mag¬ 
nificent of the royal residences. Entirely around 
this “Prohibited City” is built the “Imperial 
City,” which contains the palaces of the princes, 
most of the government offices, some temples,and 
spacious pleasure grounds. This city contains 
many temples, in which its thronging population 
are groping in their heathen darkness after God, 
and offering such acts of worship as their system 
teaches them to offer. There are a great many 
of those temples, but the most important are those 
of Heaven, Agriculture, the Sun, the Moon and 
the Earth; of these the first two are in the South¬ 
ern, or Chinese city. Our picture gives a view of 
the Temple of the Sun; but the other temples, 
while differing in many points, bear a general re¬ 
semblance to this. 

The Temple of Heaven, is a grand and im¬ 
posing structure, having a triple roof instead of a 
double one, like the Temple of the Sun. These 
roofs are of an azure color, and shine like sapph¬ 
ires in the sunlight. It stands upon three terraced 
stages, each ten feet high, the whole built of pure 


v 










TURKEY, GREECE AND CHINA. 141 

white marble, highly sculptured aud covered with 
representations of dragons and other animals of 
the early Chinese mythology. The edifice itself 
is painted a light Vermillion (red) color, and is 
circular in shape. Over its main entrance is a 
table inscribed with the name of Shangte, the 
Most High ruler. The word “Heaven,” in the 
name of this edifice, and as worshipped in it,really 
means the “Divine Power;” but one temple is al- 
allowed to be built, and the Emperor of China, 
who is styled the “Son of Heaven,” is considered 
the high priest of this temple, and he alone has the 
right to officiate in it. To the Temple of the Sun 
he sends one of his ministers to offer worship, an¬ 
nually in the spring; to the Temple of the Moon 
he sends another of them to officiate in the fall. In 
the Chinese religious system the sun represents 
the male principle in nature, and is regarded as 
the source of life, light, strength and joy to crea¬ 
tion, The moon represents the female principle, 
and is looked upon as the source of all evil and 
darkness. 

Every spring the Emperor goes to the Temple 
of Agriculture and performs the religious cere¬ 
mony of plowing the ground with a golden plow. 
This same ceremony is said to have been perform¬ 
ed by the Incas of Peru. 

It is a sad fact to contemplate that such a vast 
city as Pekin should be wholly given to idolatry. 
—Vinton. 

Macao is situated on the island of Macao, at 











142 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


the* entrance of Canton river. The harbor forms 
a circle and on this circle the town is built. The 
harbor is defended by six forts. 

Scene in China, —the preparation of tea; the 
leaves are gathered in baskets and dried or roast¬ 
ed in pans; after that they are thrown upon ta¬ 
bles, and the workmen take them into their hands 
and curl them. Tea has been used by the Chi¬ 
nese since the ninth century, and by Europeans 
since the sixteenth century. 









CHAPTER XXII. 


GERMANY. 

Mount Blanc. —This mountain, though appar¬ 
ently but a short distance from Salanches, is fully 
17 miles off, its crystal peaks appearing before us. 
Eternal snow fills its high gorges, while the limit 
of vegetation is marked by the surrounding 
heights. 

Glacier of Grindenwald. —Many persons in 
attempting to cross this glacier have lost their 
foot hold and suddenly fallen into the crevices be¬ 
neath them, and have not been found for months, 
and sometimes, years aftewards, having been car¬ 
ried down by the moving of the glacier. 

CtTY qf St. Gall.—O ne of the most magnifi¬ 
cent buildings in the city is the cathedral. 

Gorge of trE Pfaffers. —In this view the 
broad splendors and expanded grandeur of Alpine 
mountains and snowy pinnacles seem condensed 











| 144 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

to intenser sublimities. The beholder is down deep 
in a fearful abyss; huge walls of rock overhang 
him; beetling precipices are around him; the sky 
is not visible; he seems almost buried in darkness, 
beside him is a foaming cataract, and all is 
gloomy and terriffic. 

Viamala Gorge. —Another of the beauties of 
nature is seen in this view. A wonderful water¬ 
course, once called by the rural inhabitants Trom 
Perdiu, or the Lost Gulf, because at one time it 
was deemed inaccessible. The upper Rhine 
thunders through at the bottom of the gorge 
without being seen, and on either side the wails 
of rock rise precipitous 1,600 feet high, and nearly 
overarch the chasm, approaching in some places 
at the top within ten yards of each other. The 
passage through the gorge winds from one side to 
the other, by means of three bridges, which are 
built about 400 feet above the stream; but the 
gorge is so narrow that the water rose, during 
the flood of 1734, and washed away the upper 
bridge, and approached very near the others. 
View showing the Third Bridge, in which the 
river Rhine is seen at the bottom of the gorge. 

River Rhine. — This river is noted for its 
beautiful scenery and numerous waterfalls. 

Rail Road Bridge.— This view shows the 
bridge and the cathedral in the distance; and in 
another view is to be seen the bridge and the pal¬ 
ace on the river Rhine. 

The Ruined Dragooned Work.—T his view 










GERMANY. 


145 

shows the ruins of the wonderful Dragooned 
Work on the river Rhine. 

Ems. —Bathing resort showing the great Kur 
Hall on the Rhine. 

Statue of Emperor William. —This statue 
of Emperor William, as seen from this view, 
stands near the Railroad bridge on the Rhine. 

Frederick the Great. —In this view is seen 
the entrance to the summer palace of Frederick 
the Great of Prussia. 

i 

Monument of Moses, Aaron and Hur. —This | 
monument was executed in 1883, in marble, by ! 
Prof. Albert Wolf. It stands in the grand stair¬ 
case leading to the museum at Berlin. It is cut 
out of solid marble except the rod of Moses. “And 
it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, j 
Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, j 
Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were | 
heavy; and they took a stone and put under him, 
and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up 
his hands, the one on the one side, and the other- 
on the other side; and his hands were steady un¬ 
til the going down of the sun.”—Exodus 17,11,12. 

We will quote a few lines from the writing of 
Rev. Mr. Green concerning this view: “I have 
seen a picture of that grand piece of Statuary 
that adorns one of the towns on the banks of the 
Rhine, called “Moses, Aaron and Hur.” The 
face of Moses, the central figure, is turned up¬ 
ward in the struggle of vehement prayer. His 
arms, with muscles at the greatest tension, are 














146 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


raised aloft. In one hand is the scroll of the law, 
the sacred contents of the ark of the covenant, 
that in later times held back the water of the 
rushing Jordan, till the children of Israel passed 
over on dry ground. But those tired arms are 
not allowed to fall. The battle against the Lord’s 
hosts is raging in full view in the great plain be¬ 
low; and the sign by which alone they prevail 
and hope to conquer, is the uplifted arms of the 
lawgiver. How can that wearisome attitude be 
preserved so long? Why, just below him, stand¬ 
ing one on either side, are the patient, thoughtful 
figures of Aaron and Hur, bracing themselves 
to their monotonous but thrilling work. They 
stand the personfication of patient faithfulness, 
not relaxing one iota of their effort, but with sym- 
I pathetic and down-turned faces, awed with a 
sense of fearful responsibility, proving themselves 
the upholders him through whom God’s hosts are 
to overcome.” 








CHAPTER XXIII. 

ITALIAN SCENERY. 

JNTaples. —Xear the ancient city of Xaples, at 
the foot of Mount Vesuvius, formerly stood the 
cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 

Mount Vesuvius. —This mountain in olden 
times was not considered dangerous by the occu¬ 
pants of the soil. The first intimation of an 
earthquake (was in the year A. D. 63,) which 
was natural convulsions, followed by an earth¬ 
quake, destroying a part of the city of Pompeii, 
and greatly injuring Herculaneum. But in the 
year A. D, 79, Mount Vesuvius again broke out 
very suddenly, ejecting great clouds of ashes 
and pumice stone, which completely buried the 
cities of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabiae. 

Petrified Human Body. —During some exca¬ 
vations in the plain at the foot of Mount^ Vesu¬ 
vius, where the city of Pompeii had stood, this 









148 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

body was found, which has become solid rock, 
and weighs nearly a ton; it is now on exhibition at 
the museum in Naples. 

Pompeii.— More than sixteen centuries had 
passed away when the city of Pompeii was disin¬ 
terred from its silent abode, all vivid with unfaded 
hues; its walls fresh as if painted but yesterday. 

Among the first buildings excavated at Pompeii 
was the Ampitheatre; this building was cleared 
in 1755, and was large enough to have been capa¬ 
ble of holding at least ten thousand people. Up 
to the present time a great many excavations 
have been made of houses, theatres, prisons, baths, 
tombs, work shops, gates, etc. 

Venice. —The city of Venice is unrivalled as 
to beauty and situation. It stands on a cluster 
of islands near the Gulf of Venice. The impres¬ 
sion of Venice is best told in the words of Dr. 
Prime: 

“There are only two cities in the world that I 
have found just what I have expected. When I 
first caught sight of Jerusalem, in crossing the 
hills of Judea, and when I looked down upon it 
from the Mount of Olives, it was the Jerusalem of 
my thoughts; 1 had been there often before.— 
When I reached the railway terminus on the la¬ 
goon at Venice, and took a gondola, instead of an 
omnibus, and \tas rowed by moonlight through 
one street after another, and at length landed at 
the door of the hotel, into which I stepped from 
the gondola; and when, on the following days, I 








I'lALIAN SCENERY. 149 

floated throdgh the liquid streets, into and along 
the Grand Canal, past the old, and now deserted 
palaces, beneath the Rialto, and under the Bridge 
of Sighs; and as I stood on the Grand Square of 
San Marco, and entered the Doges Palace, and 
walked through its g**eat historic halls, and de¬ 
scended into its subterranean and subaqueous 
dungeons, I found myself just where I had been a 
hundred times. It was not the realization of a 
dream,—it was the dream prolonged. Everything 
was as T had fancied it. Venice is a city so pecu¬ 
liar, so unlike all other cities we have ever known, 
that we do not base our conceptions of it upon 
what we have seen of other places, but upon actu¬ 
al 'descriptions. 

In this singular city travelers must needs be¬ 
come amphibious. They sleep in houses, not upon 
the land but anchored in the sea. If they step 
into the street they step upon the water. If they 
wish to make a call upon a friend, they order, not 
a carriage, but a gondola. 

There is not a carriage in all Venice, and only 
one horse, which is kept on an adjacent island as 
a curiositv. He would have been in truth, rara- 
avis , if he had not been a horse. Over the streets, j 
which are water, a stillness reigns throughout 
the day, which to many' becomes oppressive, ab¬ 
solutely painful; but to me it is a positive luxury. 
Here the noise and bustle of life are suspended, 
the days float along as still as the flight of a bird 
in the air; or as smoothly as one of the gondolas 




















150 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

in which we glide over the surface of the water. 

Thoroughly to enjoy Venice one must come at 
the right season and have plenty of time. * * 

* Venice itself is a work of art which each one 
will most delight to contemplate.” 

St. Peter’s Church, Rome.— This church at 
Rome is one of the largest churches in the world, 
which cost about $80,000,000. Length of the 
building, 607 feet; width, 445 feet; height, 458 
feet. It was begun some time in the year 1506, 
and only completed at the close of the 17th cen¬ 
tury. More than one hundred thousand people 
were assembled in it at one time to witness the 
ceremony of the papal benediction. 

the interior of the church. 

“Enter; it* grandeur overwhelm* thee, not ; 

And why ? It i* not lessened ; but thy mind;. 

Expanded by the genius of the spot, 

Has grown colossal^ and can only find 
A fit abode, wherein appear enshrined 
Thy hope of immortality. And thou 
Shalt one day, if found worthy, *o defined,.?. 

See thy God face to face, as thou dost now 
His Holy of Holies, nor be blasted by hi* brow. 

The Coleseum. —The Coleseum at Rome was 
begun by Vespasian, but completed in after yeara 
by Titus. . It was built as a place in which to cel¬ 
ebrate the games and sports peculiar to the early 
Romans. When it was dedicated, 50,000 wild 
beasts were slain in the arena, and. combats: be-* 
tween gladiators were introduced Tor the amuse^: 
meat of the people. 





ITALIAN SCENERY. 


151 


Naples.—A fter looking at this great city, by 
looking across the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesu¬ 
vius can be seen in the distance. 

Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 1850.—This 
view shows the flames belching from the volcano, 
and the mass of burning lava overwhelming the 
city below. In 1865 the city was entirely buried 
by an eruption from Mount Vesuvius. 









CHAPTER XXIV. 


SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 

Syria and Palestine, or, as the latter is some¬ 
times called, the Holy Land, are two of the most 
noted countries in the sacred history of the East¬ 
ern Continent. 

The country of Syria is rough and mountainous 
along the coast, while its interior is more level 
and fertile. Palestine is very rough and hilly, 
with some fertile valleys intervening the hills.— 
The principal rivers are the Jordan and Euphrates. 
The largest and most wonderful lake is that of the 
Dead Sea; the next is Lake Gennesaret, the place 
near which our Savior performed a great miracle, 
(Luke 5, and Matt. 14-34.) This Lake is near 
sixteen miles in length, and about five in breadth. 

Jerusalem, the principal city of Palestine, 
stands upon a small hill, and is surrounded by a 
wall. The country surrounding the city contains 











SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 


153 


a number of hills or rounded summits, 

The Mount of Olives, so well known in sa- \ 
cred history, is upon one of these summits, and 
near by this the hills of Evil Counsel, and Scopus, j 
a western point of the Olivet ridge. 

The Garden of Gethsemane. —This is the ! 
garden in which our Saviour was betrayed by Ju¬ 
das. On the fatal night of his betrayal, he went | 
forth with his deciples, over the little brook Ke- j 
| dron, into the garden, which is a small inclosure, j 
! surrounded by a high white wall, and directly | 
between the brook Kedron and the Mount of 
; Olives, and on the east side of Jerusalem. The 
garden contains several ancient olive trees. Those 
visiting this garden arc shown the bank or mound 
where the apostles fell asleep; when our Lord-left 
them and went away to pray; then the “Grotto 
of Agony,” the cave in which the Lord Jesus is 
said to have retired too fcr prayer. 

Jerusalem, Mount of Olives and Betiiany 
have thus been described, beginning at Bethany, 
in the following language: 

“A wild mountain hamlet, screened by an in¬ 
tervening ridge from the view of the top of Olivet, 
is perched on a broken plateau of rock, the last 
cal lection of human habitations before the desert 
hills which reach to Jericho. High in the dis¬ 
tance are the peaks of the Persian Mountains; the 
foreground is the descent to the Jordan valley. 
On the further side of that dark abyss, Martha j 
and Mary knew T that Christ was abiding, when I 













154 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

they sent their messenger. Up that long ascent 
he came. When outside the village, Martha and 
Mary met him and the Jews stood around weep¬ 
ing. ‘Up that ascent he came, also, at the begin¬ 
ning of his week of suffering. One night he halt¬ 
ed at the village, as of old; in the morning he 
set forth on his journey * * * Two vast 

streams of people met on that day; the one poured 
out from the city, and as they came through the 
garden, (Mark 11, 8; John 12, 12,) w r hose clusters 
of palms rose on the southern corner of Olivet, 
they cut down the long branches, as was their 
wont to do at the feast of Tabernacles, and moved 
upwards towards Bethany, with loud shouts of 
welcome. From Bethany streamed forth the 
crowds who had assembled there on the previous 
night, and who came testifying (John 12,17) to 
the great event at the Festival of Lazarus. Along 
the road the multitudes threw down the boughs, 
severed from the olive trees through w r hich they 
w r ere forcing their way, or spread out a rude mat¬ 
ting, formed of palm branches which they had 
already cut as they came out. The larger portion 
—those perhaps who escorted him from Bethany 
—unw T rapped their loose cloaks from their shoul¬ 
ders and stretched them along the rude path to 
form a momentary carpet as he approached. (Matt. 
21, 8.) The two streams met midw T ay. Half of 
the vast mass, turning round, preceded; the other 
half followed. Bethany is hardly left in the rear 
before the long procession must have swept up and 





SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 155 

over the ridge where first begins the ‘descent of 
the Mount of Olives,’ towards Jerusalem. At 
this point the first view is caught of the south¬ 
eastern corner of the city. The Temple and the 
more northern portions are hid by the slope of 
Olivet on the right; what is seen is only Mount 
Zion, now for the most part a rough field, crowned 
by the Mosque of David, and the angle of the 
western walls, then covered with houses to its 
base, surmounted by the Castle of Herod, on the 
supposed site of the Palace of David, from which 
that portion of Jerusalem, empatically the ‘City 
of David,’ derived its name. It was at this pre¬ 
cise point, (Luke 19, 37,) ‘as he drew near, at the 
the descent of the Mount of Olives,’—-may it not 
have been from the sight thus opening upon them? 
—-that the hymn of triumph, the earliest hymn 
of Christian devotion, burst forth from the multi¬ 
tude, ‘Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is 
he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed 
is the kingdom that cometh of our father David! 
Hosanna! Peace! Glory in the Highest!’ There 
was a pause as the shout rang through the long- 
defile; and, when the Pharisees, who stood by in 
the crowd, complained, he pointed to the ‘stones’ 
which, strewn beneath their feet, would immedi¬ 
ately ‘cry out’if‘these were to hold their peace.’ 
‘Again the procession advanced. The road de¬ 
scended a slight declivity, and the glimpse of the 
city is again withdrawn behind the intervening 
ridge of Olivet. A few moments, and the path 





J 156 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

j mounts again; it climbs a rugged ascent; it 
! reaches a ledge of smooth rock, and in an instant 
| the whole city bursts into view. As now, the 
j towers of the Mosque Ei Aksa rises like a ghost 
from before the traveller who stands on the 
I ledge, so then must have risen the Temple tower; 
as now, the vast enclosure of the Mussulman 
sanctuary, so then must have spread the Temple 
| courts: as now, the gray town on its broken hills, 

! so then the magnificent city, with its background 
—long since vanished away—of gardens and sub- 
| urbson the western plateau behind. Immediately 
I below was the Valley of the Kedron, here seen in 
| its greatest depth, as it joins the Valley of Hin- 
nom, and thus giving great peculiarity of Jerusa¬ 
lem, seen only on its eastern side—its situation as 
of a city rising out of a deep abyss. It is hardly 
possible to doubt that this rise and turn of the 
road, this rocky ledge, was the exact point where 
the multitude paused again; and he, when he be¬ 
held the city, wept over it. * * This, almost 
the only spot which gospel narrative fixes with 
exact certainty, is almost the only unmarked spot 
undefiled or unhallowed by mosque or church, 
i chapel or tower—left to speak for itself; that here 
! the loi ' d stayed his onward march, and here his 
eyes beheld what is still the most impressive 
i view that the neighborhood of Jerusalem fur¬ 
nishes, and the tears rushed forth at the sight.” 

: The Mosque of Omar.— “The other buildings 

j of Jerusalem which emerge from the mass of gray 
















SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 157 I 

ruin and white stones, are few and for the most j 
part unattractive. What, however, these fail to 
effect, is in one instant effected by a glance at the* 
Mosque of Omar. From whatever point that ; 
graceful dome with its beautiful precinct emerges ! 
to view, it at once dignifies the whole city. A i 
dome, graceful as that of St. Peter’s, though of 
course on a far smaller scale, rising from an elab¬ 
orately finished circular edifice—this is raised on 
a square marble platform, rising on the highest 
ridge of a green slope, which descends from it 
north, south and east to the walls surrounding 
the whole enclosure—platform and enclosure di- j 
versified by lesser domes and fountains, by cy¬ 
presses, olives, planes and palms, the whole as se¬ 
cluded and quiet as the interior of some cathe- j 
dral garden, only enlivened by the white figures 
of veiled women, stealing like ghosts up and down ' 
the green slope, or by the turbanned heads bowed 
I low in the various niches for prayer. This is the 
Mosque of Omar; the Haram es Sherif—‘the no¬ 
ble sanctuary;’ the second most sacred spot in the 1 
| Mohammedan world—that is, the next after Mer- 
; cer; the second most beautiful Mosque—that is, j 
j next after Cordova.”— Stanley. 

Bethlehem. — This town is about six miles j 
j south of Jerusalem. The country around is very 
1 fertile, yielding figs, grapes and olives in abun- j 
! dance, though the land, as in other sections of this j 
j country, is very poorly cultivated. 

Damascus is one of the most ancient cities j 












158 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

spoken of in sacred history; we read of it in 
Gen. 14 - 15; also 1 Kings 11 - 24, and II Samuel 
8-6, and a number of other places. 

Nazareth is situated over sixty miles to the 
northeast of Jerusalem. The houses are gen¬ 
erally built of stone, and stand upon the rock, i 
which is generally but a short distance from the 
surface of the ground. Nazareth is surrounded 
by rugged hills, varying in height, some of them 
extending from three to five hundred feet in 
height. The country abounds in fruits, such as 
: oranges, limes, figs, pomegranites, etc.; all of 
these, being the natural fruits, are thus described 
by Stanley: 

i “These are the natural features, which for near¬ 
ly thirty years met the almost daily view of him, 
who increased in wisdom and stature within this, 
beautiful seclusion. It is the seclusion which 
! constitutes its peculiarity and its fitnessfor these 
j scenes of the gospel history. Unknown and un 
j named in the Old Testament, Nazareth first ap- 
[ pears as the retired abode of the humble carpen¬ 
ter. Its separation from the busy world may be 
j ground, as it is certainly an illustration, of the 
Evangelist’s play on the word, Tie shall be called 
a Nazarene.’ Its wild character, high up in the 
Gallileean hills, may account both for the rough¬ 
ness of its population, unable to appreciate their 
own prophet, and for the evil reputation which it 
had acquired even in the neighboring villages, one 
of whose inhabitants, Nathanael of Cana, said 









SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 159 i 

‘can any good thing come out of iNazraeth?’— ■ 
There, secured within the natural barrier of the \ 
hills, was passed that youth of which the most re¬ 
markable characteristic is its absolute obscurity; ; 
and thence came the name of Nazarene, used of | 
old by the Jews, and used still by the Mussulmen ! 
as the appellation of that despised sect which has | 
now embraced the civilized world.” 

Mount Carmel. —“The well-wooded place, as j 
! its name signifies, is in the southern part of Pal- ! 
| estine, and forms a wall, as it were, between the j 
plains of Sharon on the south, and Esdraelon on I 
the north. It consists of a soft white limestone 
rock, and, as is common in limestone formations, 
abounds in caves, as many as 2.000 in number, 
often of great length. Its highest summit is 1,728 
feet above the level of the sea. It is clothed with 
‘excellency of wood’ (Isiah 20-9; Mic. 7 -14.) 
Modern travellers speak of its ‘thick shrubberies,’ 
its ‘rocky dells and deep jungles of copse,’ its 
‘impenetrable brushwood of oaks and other ever¬ 
greens/or its hollyhocks, jasamineand various 
flowering creepers.’ Carmel is rendered familiar 
I to the modern world by its being the Mount on 
j which Elijah brought Israel back to allegiance 
to Jehovah, and slew the prophets of the foreign 
and false god; here, at his entreaty, were con¬ 
sumed the successive ‘fifties’ of the royal guard; 
but here, on the other hand, Elisha received the 
visit from the bereaved mother, whose son he has 
soon to release to her arms. (II Kings 4, 25, etc.) 












160 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

“The first of these three events, it is now gen- 
ally accepted, took place at the eastern end of the 
ridge of the mountain. ‘There may well have stood 
on its sacred ‘high place/ the altar of Jehovah 
which Jezebel had cast down. Close beneath, on 
a wide upland sweep, under the shade of ancient 
olives, and around a well of water, said to be pe¬ 
rennial, and which, therefore, may have escaped 
the general drouth, and have been able to furnish 
water for the trenches round the altar, must have 
been ranged on one side the king and the people, j 
j with the eight hundred prophets of Baal and As- 
tarte, and on the other, the solitary and command- j 
ing figure of the prophet of Jehovah. Full before j 
them opened the whole plain of Esdraelon; the I 
| city of Jezreel with Ahab’s palace, and Jezebel's 
] Temple distinctly visible in the nearer foreground, j 
immediately under the base of the mountain was 
seen the winding bed of the Kedron. From the \ 
slaughter by the river side the king went up to 
the glades of Carmel to join in the sacrificial j 
1 feast. And Elijah too ‘ascended to the top of the 
mountain/ and there, w ith his face on the earth, j 
remained wrapt in prayer, while his servant I 
mounted to the highest point of all, whence there 
I is a wide view of the blue reach of the Meditera- 
nean, over the western shoulder of the ridge. * * I 
I Seven times the servant climbed and looked, and j 
seven time there was nothing. * * At last out of 
the far horizon there rose a little cloud, and it j 
grew, in the deepening shade of evening, till the * 








SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 


161 


whole sky was overcast, and the forests of Carmel 
shook in the welcome sound of the mighty winds 
which, in the eastern regions, precede a coming 
tempest.” 

Ezion Geber is described in sacred history as 
being “beride eloth on the shore of the Dead Sea, 
intne land of Edom.” (See I Kings 9, 26; 26,48; 
j Numbers 33, 35; Dent. 2, 8; II Chronicles 8,17.) 

Hebron, which is about twenty miles south of 
Jerusalem, is one of the oldest cities spoken of in 
the Bible. The ancient history of this place is 
very interesting. It was at this place that Abra¬ 
ham bought the field of Machpclah for a national 
tomb. “High above us, on the eastern height of 
the town, which lies nestled, Italian-like, on the 
slope of a ravine, rose the long black walls 
and stately minarets of that illustrious mosque, 
one of the four sanctuaries of the Mohammedan 
! world, sacred in the eves of all the world besides, j 
! which covers the cave of Machpclah, the last re- j 
| tiring place of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, (Gen. 
j 69,31.) * * * We walked around the west- : 

ern hills of Hebron. What deep delight to tread j 
the rocks and drink in the view, which had been 
trodden by the feet and met the eyes of the pat¬ 
riarchs and kings. I observed, too, for the first 
time the enclosures of vineyards with stone walls, 
and towers at the corners for guards. The hills, 
except where occupied by vineyards and olive 
groves, are covered with disjointed rocks and 
I grass. * * * And marvelous, too, to think that 












162 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

within the massive enclosure of that mosque, lies, 
possibly , not merely the last dust of Abraham and 
Isaac, but the very body—the mummy, the em¬ 
balmed bones of Jacob, brought in solemn state 
from Egypt, to this (as it then was) lonely and 
beautiful spot.” 

Travellers on Dromedaries. These Drom- 
daries are a species of camel, both of which are 
natives of Asia. 

Mount Hermon. —This is supposed to be the 
mount of transfiguration—the mountain upon ! 
which Christ was transfigured before his desci- 
pies, (Matt. 17, 2.) This mountain is said to have ■ 
three summits, and this faePcan be seen [by re- j 
ferring to 1 Chron. 5, 3; Pslams 42, 6. 

Cedars of Lebanon. —In this view is seen 
some of the ancient cedars of Lebanon. 

Mount Carmel.— An encampment by the sea j 
i under a large olive tree. 

Sinai, Mount Serbal from Sherah. 

Group of Nazareth.— Here among the rocks j 
is to be seen a view of the ancient group of Naz- ! 
areth. 

Sinai, or the Wilderness of Paran.— Here is j 
| seen what is recorded in the bible the Wilderness \ 
ofParan. z 

Mount Hebron, showing the Mosque covering | 
the cave of Machpelah. 

Tomb of Rachel.— This tomb is but a short 
| distance from Bethlehem, and marks the last 
j resting place of Rachel, the wife of Jacob. (See 












SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 163 

Gen. 35, 19-20;) also in this view is seen the olive 
trees overshadowing 1 , thus presenting a beautiful 
sight. 

The Mosque of Atsa in the city of Jerusalem. 
The Valley of Hinnom, in the vicinity of 
Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem ? Mosque of Omar.Hezelnah’s well,&c. 


4 













CHAPTER XXV. 

_ ! 

EGYPT. 

The history of Egypt is very interesting. There 
are a great many wonderful events recorded in the 
bible as having transpired in the land of Egypt; 
but we will only give the reader at present a brief 
description of some of the most noted scenes con¬ 
nected with the country. 

The Great Pyramids are situated in a valley 
in middle Egypt, and extending along the valley 
about eight miles, are some of the great wonders 
of Egypt. The majority of these pyramids are 
small, though a few are very large; the largest of ; 
which covers an area of thirteen acres of land, and \ 

j 

is over four hundred feet high. They have stood j 
for many thousands of years, and no doubt were j 
designed for tombs of kings. 

The Sphinx, standing in front of the pyramids, 1 
which looks like the head of a man, faces the east 










EGYPT. 


| 


165 


and is said to be upwards of fifty feet in height 
and measures around the forehead near eighty 
feet. 


Egy^pt, Heliopolis. —Ancient Fig-tree where 
Coptic belief and the tradition of the Apocryphal 
Gospel fix the refuge'of Mary and Joseph on their 
flight into Egypt. 

Mosque of Mohammed Ali. — View in the I 
j court, Cairo. This mosque stands on the site of 
! Joseph’s Hall. 

-j Ship Dahabeeh, sailing up the river Nile in 
time of a calm, and other scenery connected with j 
the Nile. 

Pompey’s Pillar, Alexandria—“This monu¬ 
ment stands upon an eminence about 1,880 feet 
i to the south of the present walls. It consists of a 
capitol, shaft, base and pedestal, which latter re- 
! poses on substructions of smaller blocks, once be¬ 
longing to the older monuments, and probably 
bought to Alexandria for that purpose. * * * 

The total height of the column is ninety-eight feet, 
nine inches, the shaft is seventy-three feet; the 
! circumference twenty-nine feet, eight inches, and j 
the diameter at the top of the capitol, sixteen feet, j 
six inches.” 


Cleopatra’s Needles. —“The obelisks known 
| as Cleopatra’s Needles, Pliny mentions as stand- j 
| ing before the Temple of Caesar. He supposes j 
| them to have been cut and sculptured by Mesphes. 
In this, indeed, he is not far from the truth, since 
the Pharaoh whose ovals they bear was the third 















166 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


Thothemes; and it is remarkable that the names 
! of two kings, who lived about that period, the 
j first and second Thothemes, are written in Mane- j 
| tho’s list as MesphrarThothemes. In the lateral 
1 lines are the ovals of Raineses the Great, the sup- j 
| posed Sesostries, and additional columns of hiero- ; 
j glyphics, at the angle of the lower part, present j 
j that of a later king, apparently Sethei or useri II, j 
the third successor of the great Raineses. They j 
stood originally at Heliopolis, and weue brought j 
to Alexandria by one of the Caesars; though j 
fame has attached to them the title of Cleopatra’s ! 
ISTeedles, with the same disregard to truth that as- ; 
cribes to her the honor of erecting the Hepastadi- j 
uin and Pharos. They are of granite ofSyene,like i 
most of the obelisks of Egypt, and about fifty- j 
seven paces apart. The standing obelisk is about ; 
seventy feet high, with a diameter at its base of 
seven feet, seven inches. Pliny gives them forty- 
two cubits, or sixty-three feet. One is still 
standing; the other has been thrown down and j 
lies close to its pedestal, which stood on two ; 
steps of white limestone; the pedestals of Egyp¬ 
tian obelisks being usually a square dado or die, j 
without any moulding, scarcely exceeding the ! 
diameter of the obelisk, and placed upon two 
plinths, the one projecting from the other in the 
j form of steps. The height of the fallen obelisk, 
in its mutilated state, is about sixty-six feet, and 
of the same diameter of the other. It was given 

by Mohammed Ali to the English, who were de- ! 

I 












EGYPT. 167 ! 

sirous of removing it to England as a record of . 
their glorious successes in Egypt, and of the glo- j 
rious termination of the campaign of 1801. But 
from is mutilated state, and the obliteration of 
i many of the hieroglyphics b} 7 exposure to the sea j 
| air, it was considered unworthy the expense of 
I removal, and the project wisely abandoned.”— 
j Wilkin sox. 

Tomb of the Caliphs, Cairo, Egypt.—“These 
| tombs, called by Europeans, ‘Tombs of the Ca~ 

| liphs,’ are really the tombs of the Mameluke ) 
j kings. They are outside of the walls, to the east 
of the town. The true ‘Tombs of the Caliphs’ oc¬ 
cupied the site of what is now the Bazar of Khan- 
Khabel, and they are all destroyed, with the ex¬ 
ception of that of the seventh and last caliph of 
the Eiyoobite dynasty. 

Cairo—Tombs of Mamelukes. —The city of 
Cairo is noted for the number of tombs in the sur¬ 
rounding country. Nearly all the different races 
have separate and distinct burying grounds. The 
English are buried with the Greek. The tombs 
* of the Mamelukes are immensely large and crown- 
| ed with domes, minerets and gilt pavillions, and 
are said to be much more grand and picturesque j 
j th$in the abodes of the living. 

The Temple of Luksar, &c. —Egypt-Thebus, 

| “Luxar, with several adjacent villages, stands on 
the site of the ancient city of Thebes. It is 
, on the left banks of the Nile. Near the shore are * 

the stupendous remains of an ancient temple. The j 













168 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

rear of this temple rests upon the river; the front 
looks east toward the village of Karnath and its 
ruins, with which the temple was formerly con¬ 
nected by an avenue of sculptured sphinxs, one and 
a half miles in length. The propylon or gateway 
of the temple is about 1,000 feet from the Nile; it 
may be described as two towers or oblong masses 
of masonry rising on either side of the entrance 
to the temple. The length of both, including the 
space of the door between them, is about two hun¬ 
dred feet These towers or parts of the propylon 
contract regularly to the summit. They are fifty- 
seven feet in height, above the present surface. 
Two staircases, one impassable and the other 
nearly so, lead to their summits, where a good 
view is obtained of the plan of the temple itself, 
which is not so easy to obtain from below, and of 
the site and plain of Thebes. A few yards in 
front of the propylon and south of the entrance, 
stands a beautiful obelisk of red granite, ten feet 
square at the base, and more than eighty feet, 
high. It is covered with hieroglyphics, the most 
perfect and beautiful 1 have seen ; they are nearly 
two inches deep, and appear as fresh and entire as 
a recent inscription. There was another obelisk | 
; similar to this in front of the north half of t\ie j 
\ propylon. It is now standing in the Place de la 
j Concorde in Paris, close to the spot where Louis 
XVI, Robespierre and others were beheaded, 
between the obelisks and the propylon, on the right 
and left of the entrance, are two colossal statues of 














EGYPT. 


169 


Bamesis IT, which, though buried in rubbish to the 
breast, still measure twenty-two feet in height. 
The front of this massive pile,through which we en¬ 
ter the temple, is .covered with sculpture repre¬ 
senting a battle scene. The most ancient portion 
of this edifice is ascribed to Amunoph III, who 
ascended the throne B. C. 1430. 


# 













CHAPTER XXVI. 


FRANCE. % 

The noted and well known dominion of France 
we can speak of but briefly, and call the attention 
of the reader to some of its scenery as shown in 
our Combination Stereoscope. The climate of 
France is healthy and the soil is very productive. 

Paris. —This great and beautiful city is situa¬ 
ted on both sides of the river Seine; it has an 
area of over thirty square miles. On the north 
side of the river are the Boulevards, the hotels, 
etc.; on the south side of the river are the resi¬ 
dences of the nobles and government officers.— 
The river Seine is spanned by twenty-six sub¬ 
stantial bridges, all of which can be seen in the 
general view of the city; also in the immediate 
foreground of this view is the Triumphal Arch. 
Looking forward is the Elysian Fields, and to 
the right is the Palace of Industry. Xext to be 







FRANCE. 171 

seen is the Place de la Concorde, which contains 
the Egyptian obelisk monument. Beyond this is 
the Park of the Tuileries, and still further on 
the Palace of the Tuileries and the Louvre. 

Other Scenes in Paris—Hue de Kivoli.— 
This view shows one of the grandest streets in 
the city; on this street is situated the royal pal¬ 
ace. 

Luxembourg Park, one of the beautiful parks 
of Paris. 

Jardin Mobile, one of the greatest of Parisian 
parks. 

On the Boulevards, Paris, showing the gay- 
ety and animation of Parisian life. 

Panorama of Luz. —This place is situated 
near Solferiuo, among the Pyrenees. 

Reception Parlor, Palace of the Tuileries. 

Palace of St. Cloud; also reception room in 
Palace of St. Cloud. 

Avenue in the Park connected with the pal¬ 
ace of St. Cloud. It was in this palace that Na¬ 
poleon 1 with his grenadiers dismissed the As¬ 
sembly and proclaimed himself first Consul. 

The Grand Chartreuse, which is situa¬ 
ted in the Alpine wilderness, and generally 
known as the Desert of Savoy, is about 4,268 feet 
above the level of the sea. The place is described 
by Bayard Taylor as follows: “Our way upward 
was through the shadows of immense walnut trees, 
beside the purling of crystal brooks, and in the 
perfume of blooming grass and millions of meadow 












172 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

flowers. It seemed incredible that we should be 
approaching a ‘desert’ through such scenery. In 
an hour or more we had reached the highest point 
of the road which ran along the base of tremen¬ 
dous mountains. On the topmost heights, above 
gray ramparts of rock, there were patches of rosy 
color—forests of beech which the recent severe 
frosts had scorched. The streams from the 
heights dropped into gulfs yawning at the base 
of the mountains, making cataracts of several 
hundred feet. Here the grain, already harvested 
in the valley of the Rhone, was still green, and' 
the first crop of hay uncut. The road passed on¬ 
ward to a deep and very narrow mountain gorge, 
in front of which the mountain seemed to close, 
and only a thin line of shadow reveals the split 
through which we must pass. The road is hewn 
out of the solid rock; the sides of the cliff are so 
near together that the masonry supporting the 
road is held firm by timbers crossing the abyss, 
and mortised into the opposite rock. This closed 
throat of the mountain is short, it soon expands a 
little and we come to the ‘desert,’ whither San 
Bruno was directed to fly from the temptations of 
the world. But the word conveys no idea of the 
character of the scenery. For the whole distance 
it is a deep cleft in the heart of lofty mountains 
overhung with precipices a thousand feet high, 
yet clothed, wherever a root can take hold, with 
splendid forests. Ferns and wild flowers hang 
from every ledge, and the trees are full of singing 







FRANCE. 


173 

birds. Finally the slope of the mountains be¬ 
come less abrubt; the shattered summits lean 
back and the glen grows brighter under a broader 
field of sky. The buildings of the monastery 
presently come in view, a mass of quadrangular 
piles of masonry, towers and pyramidal roofs, en¬ 
closed by a high wall, more than a mile in circuit. 
The place, in fact, resembles a fortified city. 

The monks of the Chartreuse now belong to the 
order of La Trappe. San Bruno first came here 
i in 1804. The Trapist, or silent system, arose in 
the sixteenth century. It is probably the se¬ 
verest and most unnatural of all forms of monas¬ 
tic discipline. Isolation is cruel enough without 
the obligation of silence. At an appointed hour 
I was admitted. With a whisper our attention 
was called to a notice which requested that all 
visitors should neither stand still nor speak above 
their breath. W r e walked down the vault of solid 
masonry and paused before a door, through which 
came the sound of a sepulchral chant. It was the 
church wherein two ancient fathers were solemnly 
intoning a service, which sounded like a miserere. 
The brother, our guide, conducted us to an upper 
gallery, dipped his finger in the fount and pre¬ 
sented the holy water to me with a friendly smile. 
I shook my head, saying, Thank you, I don’t 
need it.’ There was an expression of stupefac¬ 
tion in his eyes, and henceforward he kept near 
me, always turning to me with a melancholy in¬ 
terest, as if there might be for me some escape 

















174 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

from the hell of heretics. I was astounded at the 
extent of the buildings. There is a single corri¬ 
dor, gothic, of solid stone, six hundred and sixty 
feet in length. Looking down it the perspective 
dwindles almost to a point. Opening from it and 
from the other intersecting corridors, are the cells 
of the monks; each with a biblical sentence in 
Latin painted on the door. The furniture of these j 
cells is very simple, but a human skull is always 
; a part of it. In the rear of each is a small garden, 

I enclosed by a wall, where the fathers and broth- 
; ers attend to their own flowers and vegetables. I 
They must have, it seems, some innocent solace; 
the silence, the parting, the company of the skull, 
and the rigid ceremonials, would else, I imagine, 
drive most men mad. Those whom we met in the 
corridors, walked with an excited, Hying step, as 
if trying to outrun their own thoughts; their faces 
were pale and stern; they rarely looked at us, and 
I of course never spoke. The gloom and silence; 
j the hushed whispers of the guide, and the prohi¬ 
bition put upon my tongue, oppressed me pain¬ 
fully. I longed to startle the dead repose of* the 
corridors by a shout full of freedom and rejoicing 
It is alawys lent in the Chartreuse; nevertheless, ! 
the dinner which was served to us was of excel¬ 
lent quality. Breakfast was a little too lean to j 
! suit my taste. ^Instead of coffee, they gave me f 
I cabbage soup and black bread. While I felt a 
| positive respect for the monks of Chartreuse, I j 
I drew a long breath of relief as I issued from its 













FRANCE. 


175 


corridors. The visit was full of interest, yet I 
could not have guessed in advance how oppres¬ 
sive was the prohibition of speech.’— Bayard 
Taylor. 

Paris Geological Garden. —The new reptile 
house in the Jardin des Plantes has just been 
opened, and the boas and erocodiles are having a 
I good time in their new and sumptuous quarters. 

I The building is spacious and well aired, com- , 
prises a tank for the alligators and crocodiles,and 
well-wired cages for the serpents, together with a : 
neat glass box for the last novelty of the garden, 
namely, a large and hairy spider, a specimen of I 
the bird-catching mygale of Brazil, big as a crab j 
and hideous as a demon; the largest and most 
deadly of all spiders. Some of the amiable guests 
of this retreat objected very much to their change 
of quarters, and the rattlesnakes in particular re¬ 
fused to be pacified, and went on a high rampage 
for several days, hissing and striking at every¬ 
thing that came near them, 

♦ 





















i 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

SOUTH AMERICA. 

South America lies in the southern part of the 
Western Continent. It has an area of 6,900,000 
square miles, and has a population of about 27,- 
000,000 inhabitants. About one-third of these 
belong to the Caucasian race; one-third are In¬ 
dians, and the remainder consists of negroes and 
persons of mixed blood, Martijoes and Mulattos. 
South America is triangular in shape; Its long¬ 
est side is from the Isthmus of Panama to Cape 
Horn, and is washed by the Pacific Ocean. The 
northern side, extending from the Isthmus of 
Panama to Cape St. Roque, is washed by the 
Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The 
eastern side is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. 
Some of the principal islands are, Trinidad, op¬ 
posite the Delta of the Orinoco river; Terra del 
Fuego, or Fire land, lying at the southern end of 














SOUTH AMERICA. 177 

the continent, from which it is separated by Ma- 
jellan strait; the Falkland Islands, east of Pata¬ 
gonia; the Galapajos Islands, lying west of the 
continent on the equator, and the island of Juan 
Fernandez, west of Chili, in the Pacific Ocean. 

The surface of the country is broken by three 
great highland systems, viz: the Andes, the 
Plateau of Guiana, and the Table Land of Brazil. 
The Andes traverse the country from the northern 
to the southern extremity ; they rise abruptly, like 
a massive and unbroken wall, from the narrow 
coast plain which separates their western base 
from the Pacific. 

The Plateau of Guiana is traversed by a 
number of mountain ranges, generally tending 
northwest and southeast, and bearing peaks that 
are somewhat higher than Mt. Washington. 

View in the Andes of Equador, consisting in 
two mountain ranges. The city of Quito is situ¬ 
ated on tin? table land which they enclose. Both 
of these ranges include a number of active and ex¬ 
tinct volcanos, such as Chimborazo, Cotopaxi and j 
Pichincha. 

Lake Titicaca. —This lake is entirely sur¬ 
rounded by mountain barriers, and showing peaks ! 
Sorata, the highest peak in the Andes, 24,812 feet 
high, and Illimani, 21,148 feet high, are east of j 
this lake. j 

The Amazon Kiver, the largest on the globe, 
drains a territory of more than 2,000,000 square 
miles. Its upper course flows in an elevated val- 















178 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

I ley between the eastern and western ranges of the 
Peruvian Andes, Near the fifth degree, south 
latitude, it turns to the east and emerges from 
the mountains in a series of rapids and cata¬ 
racts. Its fall from the Andes to the ocean is but 
850 feet. It is navigable for 3660 miles. The 
principle tributaries from the south are the 
! Ucayale, Madeira, Trapajos and Tocantine; from 
j the north, the Japura and Rio Negro. 

The Magdalena is the only river of importance 
that empties into the Caribbean Sea. It rises in 
the Andes and flows north through a narrow valley 
abounding in beautiful scenery. 

The Orinoco rises in the Plateau of Guiana 
and empties through a large Delta into the At¬ 
lantic Ocean. 

The Casiqttiare sends one branch into the 
Orinoco and another into the Rio Negro, a tribu- 
tary of the Amazon, thus forming a natural con¬ 
nection between these two great rivers. 

The Meta and Apure Rivers rise in the An- j 
des and empty into the Orinoco from the west. 

The Selves or Forests of the Amazon con¬ 
sists of gigantic trees growing closely together 
and so thickly interwoven with climbing plants 
and'dense masses of undergrowth, that they are 
almost impenetrable. The numerous rivers afford 
about the only passage through them. The num¬ 
ber of species of plants growing in these forests is 
very great. Palms and tree ferns, the representa¬ 
tive plants of the torrid zone; the India rubber, or 














SOUTH AMERICA. 


179 • j 

caouch-ouch tree with its juicy leaves, and the 
bombax or wool tree, with its thick, barrel-shaped 
trunk, are also characteristic plants of the region. 
The branches of many trees are covered with i 
| parasitic plants, as various bromelias, resembling s 
j pine apples, and orchids, which derive their sup¬ 
port exclusively from the damp air, and are dis¬ 
tinguished above all other plants by the excellent 
beauty of their flowers. 

The Pampas of the La Plata and the Llanos ot 
of the Orinoco are treeless prairies, covered with 
grasses and herbs. These h$ive wet and dry sea¬ 
sons, and during the dry season they resemble 
deserts. 

Table Lands of Brazil. —The eastern part of 
these table lands is covered with dense forests, in 
which palms, tree ferns, and many trees yielding 
dyewoods grow in great abundance. The Andes, 
lying within the belts ot the trade winds, have a 
luxuriant growth of vegetation upon their eastern 
slopes, while their western are as barren as a desert. 

The High Valleys, which are inclosed between 
the chains of mountains, are covered with o^k for- 
rests and green meadows. 

Deciduous Trees and pines are found in great 
quantities in forests, on the western slopes of the 
Andes in Patagonia and Chili. 

The Animals of this region are thejaguar, and 
cougar belonging t,o the cat species; the tapir, a 
thick-skinned animal, corresponding to the ele¬ 
phant of the old world; the ant eater, the anna- 


















180 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


dillo and the sloth. In the rivers, swamps and 
forests, large reptiles are very abundant, as the 
boa constrictor, a huge serpent, the alligator, and 
many kinds of large lizards. The insects and 
birds found here are noted for their brilliant col¬ 
ors, as parrots and humming birds. 

Tiif. Llama and Alpaca, which correspond to 
the camel of the old world, are found in the An¬ 
des. The Llama is easily domesticated and is 
very useful as a beast of burden* The Condor, 
the largest species of vulture known, is also found 
in the Andes. 

The Political Divisions of South America 
are thirteen; nine of these are republics, one is 
an empire (Brazil), and three are colonies, (Brit¬ 
ish, French and Dutch Guiana,) belonging to 
Eurepean States. Patagonia is inhabited by In¬ 
dians, but has no organized government. 

Brazil. —This political division is nearly as 
large as the United States, including Alaska. It 
is much larger than any of the South American 
states. The Capital, Rio Janiero, is on the eastern 
coast, and has the finest, safest, largest and 
most capacious harbor in the world. It is sur¬ 
rounded by hills and mountains,and is the largest 
and most beautiful city in South America, having 
a population of over 400,000. 

Bahia, which is situated on All Saints Bay, is 
a commercial city of much importance. 

Para is on the Para river at the mouth of the 
Amazon. 

















SOUTH AMERICA. 


181 I 

Guiana consists of three colonies. French j 
Guiana lies in the east, Cayenne is the capital. 
Dutch Guiana lies in the center, Paramaribo is 
the capital. British Guiana is in the west and I 
has for its capital Georgetown. 

All of the nine South American republics were 
formerly Spanish colonies, so their white inhabi¬ 
tants are pf Spanish descent and speak the Span¬ 
ish language. 

Patagonia and Terra del Fufgo occupy the 
southern part of the continent and the rocky 
islands near the coast. The coldness of the cli¬ 
mate and the barrenness of the soil have thus far 
prevented the establishment of colonies. Tribes ! 
of Indians are the only inhabitants. 

Falkland Islands, which lie east of Patagonia, | 
belong to England. The principal vegetation 
; consists of grasses, willows and shrubs; the cli- 
! mate is moist but very cold. Potatoes arid tur- 
; nips are said to be the only products. 

Tropical Scenery. —“Behold, under the same j 
parallel where xVfrica presents only parched table ' 
lands, those boundless virgin forests of the basin 
of the Amazon; those selvas,almost unbroken, over 
a length of fifteen hundred miles, forming the 
most gigantic wilderness of the kind that exists 
on any continent. And what vigor, what luxuri¬ 
ance of vegetation. The palm trees, with their 
slender forms,boldly uplift their heads, 150 and 200 
feet above the ground,and domineer over all other 
! trees of these wilds,by their height, by their num- ; 

! ber, and by the majesty of their foliage. 















CHAPTER XXVIII. 


AFRICA. 

Africa is the southwestern part of what is called 
the Old World. It is a vast table land, inclosed 
on nearly all sides by mountain ranges, which are 
separated from the ocean by low coast plains. 
The Mediteranean Sea is on the north, and sepa¬ 
rates it from Europe. The Indian Ocean and the 
Red Sea are on the east, and the Atlantic Ocean 
on the west. 

Africa has a warm climate; about four-fifths of 
its surface lies within the torrid zone. The north¬ 
ern and southern extremities are in the* warm 
temperate zones. In the Sahara and Soudan the 
I thermometer sometimes rises to 150 degrees. 

Central Africa, near the equator, has an I 
abundance of rain and moisture, and is covered 
with dense tropical forests and extensive savan¬ 
nahs. The Baboab, or monkey bread-fruit tree, 












AFRICA. 


183 


the Dragon tree and banannas, are^some of the i 
most gigantic and characteristic plants. 

The Great Sahara Desert is almost rainless 
! owing to the prevailing northeasterly winds being i 
deprived of moisture in their passage across Asia. ! 
In the Oases the date palm is very extensively 
cultivated. 

Animals. —Africa excels all other countries in 
| the size and strength of its animals. Some of the 
most noted are the lion, which is found in nearly 
all parts of the continent, the leopard, the hyena, 
the fleet zebra, and the giraffe. The elephant is 
generally found in the interior; the hippopota¬ 
mus, or river horse, is found in many of the trop¬ 
ical streams, and lakes. Antelopes and gazelles 
roam over parts of the continent in great herds. 
The ostrich is the largest bird found in Africa. 
Parrots,crocodiles and large serpents are also very 
numerous in this continent. 

Tsetse Ply, a small insect whose bite is fatal 
to domestic animals, is found in the southern part 
of Africa. 


i 


Ethiopian Race. —The native home of this 
race is Africa. It includes the Negroes, who in¬ 
habit Soudan and the central part of the conti¬ 
nent, and the various nations in the southern part 
of the country, as the Bechuanas, Hottentots and 
Caffirs. The Negroes are divided into a number 
of different tribes,among which are the half-civili¬ 
zed, the savages and the pagans. 

Caucasian Race. —The native inhabitants be- 

















184 HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 

longing to the African branch of the Caucasian 
race, inhabit the northern part of the continent, 
and they include the Abyssinians, the Fellahs, in 
Egypt, the Tuaregs, in the central Sahara, and 
the Berbers, or Kaybles, inhabiting the country 
bordering on the Mediteranean. 

The Aka|s living in the oases of the Sahara, 
and the Moors in the Barbary stales, belong to 
the Semitic branch of the Caucasian race. There 
is another branch called the Aryan branch, and it 
i is represented by colonies and their descendants 
1 living in Algiers, Cape Colony and Natal. 

Madagascar Island is the largest island of 
Africa. The interior of this island is very moun¬ 
tainous; the soil is generally fertile, and vegeta¬ 
tion exceedingly varied and luxuriant. Tanan¬ 
arive is the capitol of the island, and is situated in 
the interior. 

Reunion and the Comoro islands, lie near to 
Madagascar, and belong to France. Mauritius 
and the Seyschall islands belong to England, and 
are mostly of volcanic origin. 

Cape Verde islands, ly ing west of Africa,have 
a very hot and unhealthy climate; the soil is 
generally productive. 

Madeira island is an extinct volcano. The 
soil is very fertile and the climate mild. Madeira 
and the Cape Verde islands belong to Portugal. 

; The Canary islands, which lie near the coast, 
have a very fertile soil and pleasant climate. Ten- 
eriffe island, the largest of the Canary islands, 










AFRICA. 


185 


contains an active volcano, the Peak de Teide, 
and a number of beautiful valleys. These islands 
belong to Spain. 

St. Helena island, is in the south Atlantic 
ocean, southwest of Africa, and belongs to Great 
Britain. 

Travelling through the Desert of Africa.— 
Here is represented the passage of a caravan 
through the great and terrible desert of Africa. 
Merchants, being desirous of visiting the interior 
parts of Africa for the sake trading with the na¬ 
tives, form themselves into companies for that 
purpose. Among this group may be seen Arabs, 
Jews, Franks and many others, all united for a 
common end, regardless of the difference of 
country and creed. They provide themselves 
with camels, goods, provisions, and all the neces¬ 
saries for their journey; all things being prepared, 
the caravan moves onward. By degrees they 
leave all traces of the living world behind them; 
soon they come in sight of the great desert; eve¬ 
ning now casts its shades around them; they find 
a stopping place, and here they rest for the night. 
In the morning they commence the perilous route; 
in a short time nothing is beheld by the traveler® 
but one vast ocean of sand, bounded only by the 
horizon. As they move on, the heat becomes 
very severe; the sky appears like a dome of molten 
fire, and the earth glows like a furnace beneath 
their feet. A momentary gloom overspreads the 1 
faces of the travelers rs they see, scattered here ; 








186 


HISTORY OF PLACES AND OBJECTS. 


and there upon the sand, skeletons, the remains of 
former travelers. Sometimes, while yet on the 
border, the lion of the desert appears; he sees 
them united and watchful, and dares not attack 
them; he lashes his sides with his furious tail and 
with a dreadful roar bounds out of sight. The 
Arab robbers, who think they have a hereditary 
right to plunder travellers, sometimes attack the 
company. They generally meet with a stout re¬ 
sistance, and soon find themselves defeated, and 
quickly disappear amid clouds of dust and sand. 
Other enemies frequently appear; the pestilential 
simoom, with the speed of thought, comes rushing 
on towards them,and unless they fall instantly up¬ 
on their faces and hold their breath, they are 
dead men. Sometimes they behold huge pillars 
of sand before them, the sun gleaming through 
them giving them the appearance of pyramids on 
fire, each of them large enough to bury the com¬ 
pany. Now, they move towards them with fearful 
rapidity; now, they take another direction; the 
wind shifts and, dashing them against each other, 
they vanish in a storm of sand. 

Amid the arid desert’s burning sands, 

The caravan proceeds, in various bands; 

Jew, Frank and Mussulman in search of gain, 

Unite to traverse the destructive plain. 

The desert drear, more terrible to brave 
Than furious tempest on the ocean wave. 

The sky, a molten dome of quivering heat, 

The earth, a furnace glows beneath their feet; 

The wild waste echoes as they move along, 














AFRICA. 


187 


With laugh of humorous tale, or voice of song. 
Armed and united, they no danger fear 
From lion prowling, nor from robber’s spear; 

But other foes oft times ’gainst them advance, 

More to be dreaded than the Arab’s lance ; 

The sandy column, and sirrocco’s blast, 

Laden with certain death, comes rushing past, 

Down straight they fall—flat on their faces lie, 
While the destroying angel passes by ; 

Through varied dangers, thus their way they wend, 
Until at length they reach their journey’s end. 


THE END. 



























































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GENERAL INDEX. 


GENERAL INDEX. 


Abottsford, Scotland. 

A byssina, mountains. 

Adirondack wilderness. 

Au Sable Chasm . 

Gread Indian Pass. 

Seranic Lakes. 

Africa.. 

t limate... 

Amazon River. 

Anasta ia Island. . 

Andersonville National. Cemetery 

Andes Mountains.. 

Animals, South America.. 

Animals of Africa. 

Appalachian Mountains. 

Apure River, South America. 

Arlington National Ceme e.y. 

Athens Greece. 

Augusta, Georgia. . 

Au Sable River, N. Y. 

Balmoral Castle, Scotland. 

Balater, “ . 

| Bahia, South America. 

Ben, or Mount Nevis, Scotland. 

j Bethany. 

j Bethlehem. 

I Big Trees, Cal. 

j Boston . 

j Boston Commons. 

Bunker Hill Monument. 

Public Garden. 

Brazil, South America. 

Brazil Table Lands. 

Brigham Young and Mormonism. 

Brigham Young. 

Brooklyn; N. Y. 

Prospect Park. 

Buffalo, N. Y. 

Cairo, Egypt........ 

Tombs of the Caliphs. 

Tombs of the Mamelukes..... 

| Calaveras Grove, Cal. 

California. 

I Canary Islands... 

| Canton, C hina. 


,133 
. 25 
. 48 
. 49 
, 48 
, 49 
182 
.182 

177 
75 
11 

,177 

179 

183 

26 

178 
10 

138 
72 
, 49 


....134 
...134 
...180 
...133 
...153 
...157 
128-9 
... 51 
... 52 
... 52 
... 51 
...180 
.. 179 
... 87 
„ .118 
... 44 
... 44 
... 46 


i 


167 : 
,167 ! 
167 I 
,127 j 
,122 
184 
138 I 
































































GENERAL INDEX. 




Cape Verde Islands.184 

( a<siquiartj River.178 

Catskill Mountains... 45 

“ clove of. . 45 

Caucasian Race.—..183 

Carcadilla Creek, N. Y. 47 

Cayuga Lake, N. Y. 46 

Cedars of Lebanon. .162 

Chicago, Ill. 76 

Cincinnati. 61 

“ Fountain. 62 

“ Observatory.62 

Constantinople.138 

Bosphorous.138 

Mosque... 138 

New Palace.138 



Damascus.157 

Deciduous Trees, ►South America.179 

District of Columbia. 2 

Drummond Castle, Scotland.;.134 

Garden. 134 

Edinburgh.—.135 

Sir Walter Scott’s Monument.135 

Meg Merrilies Statue...135 

Prince Charles.135 

Lady of the Lake.135 

Last Minstrel.135 

Lucy Bertram.164 

Egypt...■.165 

Cleopatra’s Needle.165 

Great Pyramid.164 

Heliopolis....105 

Pompey’s Hilar, Alexandria,...165 

Ship Dahabeeh on the Nile.165 

Sphinx.164 

Temple of Luxsar, &c. 167 

Ancient City of Thebus. 167 

Ancient Temple. 168 

Enfield Falls.'. 47 

The Canyon.. 47 

The Chasm. 47 

England.130 

Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1850. 151 

Ethiopian Race.183 

Ezion Geber. 161 




Fall Creek. 

Falkland Islands. 

Faralone Islands. 

Florida. *.... 

Swamps. 

Fort Scott National Cemetery 


47 


...181 
...124' 
... 74 
....75 
12-13 







































































GENERAL INDEX. 


Fort Scott, Kansas,. 

‘ Mills. 

‘‘ Opera House. 

“ Railroads. 

“ Streets.. 

j France. 

I Frederick the Great, Germany, 


83 

84 
84 
84 
84 

170 

145 


Georgia. 71 

Germany.143 

Glacier of Grindenwald. 143 

! Glasgow..135 

George Square.135 

Gorge of the P rafters.143 

Grand Chartreuse, Alpine wilderness...171 

Desert of Savoy.171 

Silent System.173 

Guiana, S. A.,. 181 

Guiana Plateau. 177 

Plarvard College, Cambridge, Mass.,. 53 

: Hebron .161 

Machpelah Cave.:.161 

Maclipelali Field.161 

Pligh Valleys S. A.179 


i 


Illinois. 

Ireland. 

Giant’s Causeway.. 
Mount Car ran Tual 
Kilkenny Castle. 


76 

136 | 
,137 I 
136 
.136 


! Jefferson City, Mo.,. 79 

! Jeursalem. 152 j 

Brook Kedron.K3 

Garden of Gethsemane . 153 | 

Mosque of O mar.;.... 156 j 

Mosque of Omar, Hezekiah’s well.163 j 

Mosque of Atsa. 163 i 

Mount of Olives. 153 \ 

Night of Christ’s Betrayal.153 j 

Valley of Hinnom. .163 j 


Kansas. .. 62 

i Kansas Birds.. 85 


Lake George, N. Y ,. 44 

London..... .. 130 

London Tower. 131 

.Buckingham Palace.....132 

Crystarpalace.131 

Houses of Parliament. .131 

Park and Gardens.131 

Lowell, Mass., .. 64 

Mammoth Cave....... 64 

Bacon Chamber.'...... 67 






































































GENERAL INDEX. 


Church in.'. 66 

Echo River. 67 

End of Cave. 70 

Entrance. 64 

Giant’s Coffin. 67 

Main Cave. 65 

Mammoth Dome. 67 

Sparks Avenue. 67 

Pit or Maelstrom. 67 

Poem on Maelstrom.68-9 

Water Fall. 65 

Macao.141 

i Madagascar Island.184 

Madeira.184 

Magdalena River...178 

Melrose Abbey .184 

Memphis National Cemetery. 12 

i Meta River. 178 

i Missouri*. 79 

! Montana.120 

| Mosque of El Aksa...156 

Mosque of Mohammed Aii.165 

| Mount Carmel.159 

| Mount Hermon.162 

I Mount Vesuvius.147 

“ Eruption in 1850. 151 

Mountains of the world.25-26 

Mount Hebron. 102 


Mount fcerbal.162 


; 






1 


Nahant, Mass.,. 

John’s Peril.. 

Maoli’s Gardens.. 

Natural Bridge. 

Spouting Horn. 

Swallow’s Cave. 

Pulpit Rock. 

Naples.. 

National Park, Montana, . 

Natural Bridge, Va,,. 

Natural Tunnel Va,. 

New York. 

Central Park. 

“ Bridal Road. 

“ Central Lake... 

“ Drive. 

Flower Garden 

“ Ramble. 

44 The Cave. 

“ The Mall. 

Tower Hill. 

Harbor. 

Niagara River. 

Niagara Falls. 

Cave oi the Winds. 


53 
53 
53 
53 
53 
, 53 
53 
147 
120 
17 
, 21 
37- 
38 j 

40 ! 

41 

40 
, 43 

41 
43 

42 

43 
37 
30 
30 
33 











































































GEN Eli AL IN DEX. 


Iris of Goat Island. 31 

New Suspension Bridge. 35 

Railroad Suspension Bridge. 34 

Table Rock. 33 

Terrapin Tower. 32 

Three Sister Islands. 32 

Whirlpool Rapids...... 34 

Winter Scenery. 34 

; Ohio. 61 

I Orinoco River, S. A.178 

| Palace of the Tuileries....171 

i Palace of St. Ctoud .171 

Avenue..;. .171 

Reoept ion Room.*... v .171 

; Palestine. 152 

i Pampas of La Plata River. 179 

Panarama of Luz.171 

Para, S. A.,. 189 

Patagonia and Terra del Euego.181 

Paris..„.. 170 

Geological Gardens. 175 

New Reptile House in Jardin des Plantes. 175 

Jardin Mobile. 171 

On the Boulevards.. 171 

Luxembourg Park. 171 

Rue de Rivoli...171 

Pennsylvania. . 55 

i Penn’s treaty with the Indians under an elm tree. 56 

I Petrified Hnman Body.147 

! Pekin, China, . 139 

i Pekin Temples. 140 

Agricul ture. 140 

Earth. 140 

Heaven.140 

Moon. 140 

Sun. 140 

Philadelphia, Penn.,. 56 

Carpenter’s Hall. 58 

Fairmount Park.. 59 

Independence Hall. 57 

i Political Divisions, H. A.,. 180 

j Pompeii. 148 

Pompey’s Pillar, Alexandria.165 

I 

Queenstown. 35 

Brock’s Monument. 36 

Statue of Gen. Brooks.. 36 

Richmond, Va.,..—. 15 

Capitol Building.15-16 

City Hall. 17 

Custom House. 17 

Governor’s Mansion. 17 




1 


j ' 




































































2 04 ' _ GENERAL INDEX. 

Representative Hall. 

Rotunda. 

Senate Chamber... 

Smithsonian Institute. 

♦Washington National Monument. 

White House........ 

Watkin’s Glen.;..... 

| West Point...:. 

Weyer’s Cave, Va.,...... 

Chandalier. 

Cathedral. 4 . 

Dead Niagara.... 

Ghost Chamber.. 

Jacob's Ladder.... 

Jacob's Tea Table..?. 

Jacob’s Ice House, or Bottomless Pit.... 

Speaker’s Chair. 

The Senate Chamber.... 

Washington's Hall..... 

White Mountains...... 

Echo Lake.. 

Mount Washington Railroad... 

Notch.. 

Tip Top House...... 

The W iley House... 

; Windsor, Eng.,... 

Windsor Castle.. 

Yellowstone River... 

Great Falls... 

Yosemite Valley.... 

j Yosemite Mountain Peaks.. 

Cap of Liberty. 

Cathedral Rocks... 

Cathedral Spires. 

Clona’s Rest... 

El Captain.. 

Glacier Rock.... 

Mount Star King. 

Mount Watkins... 

North Dome. 

Royal Arches. 

Sentinel Dome.. 

South Dome.. 

Three Brothers.... 

IJmo. 

Union Rock. .. 

Washington Column.... 

Yosemite Falls.. 

Bridal Veil Falls. 

Cataract Falls. 

Nevada Falls. 

Royal Arch Falls.... 

Sentinel Falls . 

South Fork Falls. .... 

Vernal Falls..... 


6 

5 

6 

8 1 
9 i 
6 i 
48 : 
45 j 
22 i 
oo 

28 

oo ' 


22 
. 28 
. 28 
.23 
. 23 
.23 
. 23 
. 26 
. 28 
. 28 
. 27 
. 29 
. 27 
.132 
.132 
120 
120 
125 
125 

125 

126 
,126 
,125 
127 
125 
125 
125 
.125 
125 
,125 
,125 
,126 

125 

126 

125 

126 
126 
.126 
126 
126 
126 
126 
126 


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